Irken Rebels
by Kotawings
Summary: The sequel to "Has It Come To This?" We once again join our Irken rebels along with Dib, Gaz and the adorable SIRs. But they're captured and awaiting their various fates. Can they be rescued in time? Contains ZATR. Rated T for violence and language.
1. Fates Decided

A/N: Well, those of you reading this I assume read the prequel to this story… if you haven't; I suggest reading it before reading this one! For those of you who HAVE read Has It Come To This… welcome back! I hope you all enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed the last one!

Now, without further ado, I give you…

Irken Rebels!

~!#$%^&*(

3rd Person

Bodies lay scattered all across the streets. Voot Cruisers lay in ruins.

The aftermath of the battle was devastating. The survivors were all captured and were being loaded aboard a ship which would take them to _The Massive._ The rebels were completely silent, many still shocked at the turn of events.

High above in _The Massive,_ the Tallest congratulate each other on a job well done. The pilots were celebrating their victory.

In outer space, what remained of the Resisty began to head back toward friendly space. They had spent the past two years searching for planets that the Irkens didn't yet know about. They had been successful and now had a working base of operations on the planet Mooshi. Once there, they planned to recruit more soldiers and get repairs. Then, they would do their best to rescue their captured comrades. Until then, they could only hope the rebels would hang in there…

Zim's POV

We had been taken aboard a transport and were currently being taken to the Tallest's flag ship… _The Massive._

I had always thought that the day I boarded the jewel of the armada would be the best of my life. Instead, this was looking to be the worst.

I held Tak close to me, scared to lose her like I had lost Kota. Nothing had prepared me for that.

Several guards stood at the ready, just in case we caused trouble. But we had no intention of doing so. I looked around the cramped chamber we were in. The others were quiet, only occasionally murmuring encouraging words to each other.

"We are now docking to _The Massive,_" a voice said through the intercom.

The guards began to herd us toward the doors, not afraid of pushing us if we weren't moving fast enough for them.

I took a deep breath. The last time I had stood before the Tallest had been exciting. But this time, I was absolutely terrified.

!#$%^&*

3rd Person

"My Tallest, the transportation ship has docked. The prisoners are on their way."

"Very good," Tallest Red said. "We need to teach them a lesson. You ready for this, Purple?"

"Uh huh!" Purple said, shoving a cookie in his mouth. "This should be entertaining!"

Moments later, the doors opened and the rebels, including several Resisty members and Skoodge, were paraded in. They stood in front of the Tallest, looking rather defiant.

"So… We meet again, little rebels," Red sneered. "And look, we seem to be missing someone! Where is the one who spoke so boldly last time? Didn't she make it? We didn't, _kill her_ did we?" Red had bent down to smirk in the faces of his enemies.

His words struck the entire group deeply. It was like kicking them while they were down.

"Tsk tsk, what a shame," Red said, shaking his head. "I was hoping I'd get to gloat to her personally, but these things seem to happen in a war."

Jek's hands had curled into fists. He had no doubt that the Tallest had had their pilots target her specifically. They always wanted their most defiant enemies to go down, no matter what the cost.

"Oh well, there's nothing that can be done about her. But there is something that can be done about you…" Red looked at them evilly. Purple continued to eat cookies.

"I think some deactivations are in order, maybe not for all of you, but for most. The SIRs, will of course, be melted down and recycled, and the humans and other aliens will become slaves."

"Sounds good to me," Purple said, spitting cookie crumbs.

Red nodded contently. "And until you all meet your various fates, you will be held here, aboard _The Massive._ You can bide your time by twiddling your thumbs or something. Guards!"

The guards stood at attention.

"Take the prisoners to the cell block. Put them, let's see…" Red counted them up. "Three to a cell. That should make things about even. Oh, and make sure the SIR units are all shut down. Put them all in the same cell. We don't want them breaking out."

The guards saluted and began to lead the group away.

"I think that went well," Purple said, finishing his last cookie.

"I do too."

~!#$%^&*()

The SIRs were all shut off and thrown into the first empty cell the guards came upon. Poor Iris was terrified; she wanted to know where her mistress had gone.

The rest of the rebels were put three to a cell, just as the Tallest had ordered. They took up five cells. (You do the math :P)

After the guards were gone, they began to strategize.

"We have to get out of here!" Mir said.

"No, really?" Kiu said scathingly.

"Well, there's no reason for you to be rude!" Mir said angrily.

"Sorry," Kiu mumbled.

"Guys, remember what Kota said," Tak began. "We can't fight, we're all we have. If we fight each other, we fight ourselves."

That shut up the fighting pretty quickly.

"I can't believe she's gone…" Dink said quietly.

The others nodded sadly.

"That's why we have to get out of here," Jek said. "So we can keep fighting and she won't have died in vain."

"But how?" Skoodge asked. "These cells don't exactly have doorknobs."

"We'll figure it out somehow," Jek said firmly. "But for now, I think we should get some rest."

~!#$%^&*

A/N: And so it begins… Yes, this chapter is a little shorter than what I usually write… but my brain is still fried from the last one. . I've been updating my stories since 6:00 and it's already 11:00… LOL OH! If you haven't checked out the AMAZING picture my BFF drew for the finale of Has It Come To This, DO SO NOW! It's effing amazing…

Until next chapter!

~Kota


	2. Jrek

A/N: I'm not sure how often I'll be updating… my brain is fried and my acting camp is going to be starting on Monday. . I'll do my best to update at least twice a week though! And for those of you wondering… Yes, Kota and Huji are dead. They will not be coming back. (Until I write the prequel that is.)

~!W#$%!$*&^%

3rd Person

As the exhausted rebels slept, the Tallest were busy figuring out how to best dispose of them.

"Well, Zim is definitely going to be deactivated. No questions there," Red said matter-of-factly.

"I agree, we should have deactivated him long ago," Purple said with a nod. "I think we should de-activate Tak and Jek as well. Possibly Skoodge. The others need to be taught a lesson, but I'm not sure that de-activating them would be the wisest thing to do."

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Red asked, curious.

"Well, everyone sees us just killing off all of our enemies, they may think we're afraid of them. But if we only kill some of them they'll see us as merciful."

For once, Purple actually had the right idea. People didn't like it when their leaders were cold-blooded killers.

"Hmm, that's true. Alright, we'll spare Dink, Mir and Kiu. The others will be deactivated. The humans and the members of The Resisty will be slaves and the SIRs can all be melted down."

"Sounds good to me," Purple said.

Little did they know that they were being listened to the entire time.

~!#$%^&*

Zim hadn't been able to sleep. Not that he'd wanted to. He was afraid that his dreams would be plagued with nightmares. While he sat there in silence, he remembered something.

Before he had gone to Dib's house that fateful night, he had put Mini Moose in his PAK for safe keeping. He had then completely forgotten about him in the following chaos, and Mini Moose had just sat quietly in his PAK waiting to be let out.

Having remembered Mini Moose, Zim quickly opened up his PAK and called for the little purple moose quietly.

"Mini Moose! Come to Zim!"

A few moments later Mini Moose came floating out with a happy squeak.

"Mini Moose! It is good to see you again. Now, I have a secret mission for you…"

So Mini Moose had gone to spy on the Tallest to see what their plans were. He listened for a good long while, memorizing as much as he could. From what he could figure out, the Tallest were planning on deactivating Zim and several of the others live for the entire empire to see. The rest would become slaves and the SIRs melted down. With this information, Mini Moose quietly and carefully returned to Zim.

"Good, you're back. What did you learn?" Zim asked, looking around to make sure he wasn't over heard.

Mini Moose squeaked out all of his new found information. Zim grew pale.

"I had a feeling they would do something like this. We'll have to escape quickly if we are to avoid our deaths. Good job Mini Moose." Zim re-opened his PAK and waved Mini Moose back into his hiding place. Mini Moose did not complain once.

Zim pondered the Tallest's plan. Deactivating their enemies for everyone to see would send a message to any other rebels out there that fighting back was futile. But not deactivating all of them would show that they were merciful as well, even though Zim new good and well that they were not. As soon as the rebels had been forgotten, they too would be deactivated.

He grimaced. Things were not looking good.

~!#$%^&

_Resisty Base; Planet Mooshi_

Lard Nar sat in his personal quarters, contemplating their situation.

They had lost the battle on Earth, as well as hundreds of soldiers and ships. Some of their best men (and women) were captured and were off to their deaths. They had to be rescued.

But how?

Suddenly, alarms began blaring. Lard Nar picked up his communicator and asked what had happened.

"Sir! There's been an intrusion! An Irken by the looks of him!"

"Damn! We cannot let the Irkens know of our base! Send some troops after him! He must not escape!"

"Yes sir!"

The Irken whom had been spotted was quickly working his way toward the exit. Once he left the main base, it would be very hard to catch him.

As the soldiers began to catch up, they were able to get a better look at the intruder. He had ruby red eyes like most Irkens, but a metal plate was covering one of his eyes. The other was glinting maliciously. Another peculiar thing about this Irken was that his right arm seemed to be mechanical.

"Hault! Intruder!"

The Irken cast a glance back, smirking. He ran faster.

They were unable to catch him before he exited the base. The soldiers stopped just outside the exit, panting. They were looking around anxiously, hoping to find a trace of the Irken who had escaped them. They saw nothing. Sadly, the leader, a lizard like creature, called in to inform Lard Nar that the intruder had, in fact, escaped.

"This is not good, not good at all," Lard Nar said, rubbing his forehead. "We must keep a sharp eye out from now on. If he contacts the Tallest, they'll be here before you can say 'flash-fried.' Double the guards watching the area around the planet."

"Yes, Lard Nar."

~!#$%^&*(

The Irken had escaped into the forest surrounding the base just before the soldiers had come out. Now he ran, laughing evilly, back to his base camp.

Jrek had been sent on a mission from the Tallest as soon as they saw the Resisty. They had not seen or heard from the Resisty in two years, so, naturally, they assumed that they had a base somewhere. It was Jrek's job to find that base.

It had been simple. As soon as he had finished dealing with the annoying Irken girl who had tried to shoot him down, he followed the retreating Resisty ships. It was only a matter of time before he had found their base. Now all he had to do was contact the Tallest.

As he trotted into his camp, he flicked on his wrist communicator.

"Jrek? That was awfully fast," Tallest Red said, sounding surprised. "It's only been a day and a half!"

"Yes, my Tallest. But I have successfully tracked down the Resisty and have infiltrated their base."

"That's great news!" Red said, clapping his hands together.

"Thank you, my Tallest. I am sending you the coordinates as we speak."

"Good job, Jrek. Just hang tight and we'll be there in a few days. We have to make a quick stop back home first."

"Of course, my Tallest, take all the time you need. I am in no danger here."

Tallest Red nodded and cut the communication.

~!#$%^&*

Zim was awakened by other voices talking softly to each other.

He had finally managed to fall asleep, but he had fallen asleep with his face pressed against one of the bars of the cell he was being held in. Now, one side of his face was indented.

"Ugh," he said, shaking his head to clear it.

Tak and Dink snickered. They were the ones he was sharing the cell with.

"Eh? Why do you laugh at Zim?" he asked.

Dink tried to stop laughing. "Zim, heh heh, you fell asleep leaning against one of the bars, now your face is all pressed in on one side!"

Several of the others in neighboring cells began to laugh as well.

Zim rubbed his hand across his right cheek, searching for the indentation. Sure enough, there was a dib that had not been there earlier that day. He scowled, knowing he looked ridiculous.

"Well, just for that, I'm not going to tell you what I found out while all you monkeys were asleep," Zim said, sticking his tongue out.

Instantly, they were quiet. Everyone was watching him intently.

Zim rolled his eyes. There was no point in not telling them. In fact, if they were to stay alive, it was best to tell them all he had found out.

He explained how Mini Moose had been stowed away in his PAK for quite some time, and how he had sent him to spy on the Tallest.

Then, he told them what awaited them on Irk.

Nobody said a word as Zim finished speaking. They didn't panic, they didn't curl into a ball and pretend it wasn't happening. They simply remained silent, pondering what this meant for them.

Mir, Kiu and Dink looked slightly more relieved than the others did, but they certainly weren't happy. Finally, Jek spoke.

"We need to get out of here, fast. We can't let them deactivate us, that would certainly stop any others out there from resisting."

"Well, how do expect to get out?" Tak asked crossly. "They disabled our PAKs so the only thing we can do with them is open and close the storage compartments, and the SIRs are all shut down."

Zim got another brilliant idea. He opened his PAK again. "Mini Moose! Come to Zim!"

The others watched him curiously.

"Mini Moose, I want you to go into the cell to our left. Once in there, turn on all of the SIRs. Ok?"

Mini Moose squeaked and headed for the neighboring cell. One by one, all the SIRs flickered back to life, shaking their metallic heads in confusion.

"What happened?" Lila asked.

"Where are we?" Stubs said, looking around.

"Where is mistress?" Iris cried.

That struck a blow in everyone.

"Iris, Kota did not make it through the battle," Mir said sadly.

"What?" she asked, a hint of panic in her robotic voice.

"We're sorry, Iris," Dink said quietly.

"But… but…" Iris began to wail loudly.

"Iris! Be quiet!" Tak ordered. The Tallest must not know you are awake!"

Iris quieted down, but sniffling could be heard.

"Now, all of you, you must use your tools to escape your cell. As soon as you are free, come and get us out, do you understand?" Zim asked.

"Yes, my master!"

"Yes, mighty Irken!"

"It will be done!"

Whirring and clicking noises started, and before too long several saws could be heard cutting through the bars of the cell.

Soon, the SIRs were free and they began to go to work on the other cells. Mini Moose floated above them all, keeping watch.

When they were all out, they gathered in the middle of the hallway, discussing their next move quietly.

"We should make a break for the hangar," Skoodge said. "We may be able to escape before they realize what has happened."

"I agree with Skoodge," Mir said. "We won't stand much of a chance on board the ship surrounded by our enemies."

"Then to the hangar it is," Jek said, beginning to lead the way.

The rebels ran through the halls of _The Massive_ as quietly and as carefully as possible. Mini Moose often acted as a scout. They were almost there when alarms began to go off.

"Drat!" Tak hissed. "They know we've escaped! Run for it!"

Everyone tore through the halls at top speed, scattering random Irkens and gathering more and more attention by the minute.

Before long, a full blown chase was going on.

"There! The hangar!" Kiu panted.

Unfortunately, guards were swarming toward them on all sides now.

"No!" Dib cried.

"End of the line, rebels!" one of the guards shouted, leveling his gun at them. All the other guards did the same.

"We were so close…" Tak murmured.

"LET US THROUGH!" Iris shrieked, finally popping from all the mixed emotions she was feeling. She fired everything she had at the guards, blowing five of them up and creating a gap. She ran through, leapt into a ship and took off.

Everyone stared at where she had been, mouths agape.

"Ah, let it go, it's only one defective SIR unit, it's not gonna cause any more trouble," the leader said, shaking his head. "Let's get the rest of these guys back to their cells. And this time," he said, plucking Mini Moose from the air, "we lock this one up as well!"

"We'll figure out a way to escape again," Jek threatened. "We won't go down without a fight."

"We expected nothing less, but you'll still lose in the end."

With that, the rebels were lead back to the cell block.

~!#$%^&*

A/N: Can you tell that I was listening to some pretty epic music when I wrote about Iris escaping? Hollywood Undead can work wonders on my mind… Iris has not left forever, in fact, she's going to get help! I also just realized how similar Jek and Jrek's names are… hmm… this could get interesting real fast!


	3. Captured Again

3rd Person

The rebels were lead into new cells, undamaged ones. The SIRs were shut down once again, and Mini Moose was stuck inside a clear plastic box. Things were looking grim.

"Well, Zim, do you have any other ideas?" Dib asked hopefully.

"Not a one," Zim said, slumping against the wall.

They sat in silence for awhile, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.

"I think the best thing to do is to wait this out," Mir said, hand on her chin. "We can try to escape again once we have landed on Irk."

"But by then, it may be too late!" Skoodge said fretfully.

"Well, our chances of escaping _The Massive_ aren't exactly looking great right now, Skoodge," Tak said. "I agree with Mir. We stand a better chance while we're on the ground."

"So, we just bide our time until we land?" Kiu asked.

"I suppose so," Jek said, taking a seat on the ground.

Kiu shrugged and sat down as well.

~!#$%^&

The peaceful night was suddenly interrupted by the roar of an incoming ship.

"Commander! A ship has broken through our defenses!"

"Ah, what?" Lard Nar asked, shaking his head. He had dozed off.

"A lone ship has entered the atmosphere and is headed straight for the base!"

Lard Nar leapt from the chair he had been sitting in. "Shoot it down, you fools! We don't want whoever it is to discover our base!"

"Yes, sir!"

Lasers tore through the night, aimed for the rogue ship careening through the sky. One of the pilots managed to get a hit, and the ship began to smoke. It dove into the ground.

"Get some troops out there! Take the pilot prisoner!"

The soldiers went out to the crashed Voot Cruiser expecting a fight. But they didn't get one. In fact, the pilot leapt out and hugged one of them.

"What the?" he cried.

"I found you! I found you!" the pilot cried.

"Uh… Found who, may we ask?" another soldier asked, realizing that the pilot was not a threat.

"You! The Resisty!"

Lard Nar stormed from the base, coming to a stop in front of the soldier currently being hugged.

"What is the meaning of this?" he asked.

"Sir, it seems that the pilot has been looking for us."

"Pilot, stop hugging the soldier!" Lard Nar commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

The pilot immediately stopped and stood in front of Lard Nar, saluting.

The pilot was none other than Iris.

"Well, well. A SIR unit," Lard Nar said, cracking a smile. "And just what are you doing here, so far from the Irken empire?"

"My friends are in trouble!" Iris cried. "The Tallest are gonna kill 'em just like they did to my mistress!" Iris buried her face in her tiny hands.

Lard Nar was speechless. Was this little SIR so dedicated to her friends that she had come all this way just to ask for their help?

"Well, uh, what do you want us to do about it?" Lard Nar asked.

"Save them! You saved them once before! Back on Earth!"

So this is where the SIR had come from. She had belonged to one of the rebels who had fought in the battle on Earth. So they had lost…

Lard Nar turned to one of the soldiers. "Soldier! Alert the others. We'll be heading to Irk in exactly one hour. Anybody not ready by then will be left behind."

"Yes, sir!" the soldier said, saluting.

"So, you're gonna help them?" Iris asked, brushing a tear from her purple eye.

"Yes, we will do our best, little SIR. May I ask, what is the name your mistress gave you?"

"Iris," Iris said sadly.

"And what exactly happened to your mistress, Iris?"

"They killed her. They shot her down at the end of the battle," Iris whimpered.

"Well, I'm sorry," Lard Nar said, trying to get Iris to calm down before she broke into hysterics again. "How about you fly with me when we leave? You can help us find your friends."

Iris beamed. "Yes, sir!"

"Well, come on then, we need to get ready!"

~!#$%^&*(

Jrek was hiding in the foliage just outside the base. He and his SIR unit Storm were watching all the goings on.

"So, they're leaving," Jrek said with a smirk. "They're base will be practically defenseless! It will be the perfect time to strike. Although, I wonder where they are heading. I wish I had a better sense of hearing. No matter, where they are going is of no importance. I will just alert the Tallest that the base is all but abandoned."

Jrek and Storm headed back into the forest to their base. As soon as they arrived, Jrek contacted the Tallest.

"My Tallest, the Resisty are headed somewhere, and their base will be virtually unguarded. It will be the perfect time to strike!"

"Excellent!" Red whooped. "We'll be there in about three days. We just have to deal with these traitors on Irk. Alert us of anything that you think is necessary."

"Of course, my Tallest!" Jrek said, saluting. The transmission was then cut.

"Finally, Storm. In three days we will be able to leave this horrible place. Hopefully we will be given a better mission."

Storm nodded but said nothing.

"I cannot wait until the battle!"

~!#$%^&^&

Back on board _The Massive,_ the rebels were trying to sleep once more. Zim had made certain to sleep as far away from the bars of the cell as possible this time, he didn't want to be laughed at again. Tak had snuggled close to him, while Dink has awkwardly lain down in a corner.

One by one they had all drifted off into restless sleeps. All but Jek, that is. He was still sitting on the floor in his original spot.

You see, he was thinking, as many do after bad things had happened to them. And lots of bad things had happened to Jek throughout his life.

But so far, this battle had been the worst for him.

He sat silently, fighting back tears. He had lost two friends in the battle. He had watched them both die. Yeah, everyone was upset and sad about losing Huji and Kota, but nobody was feeling the same pain that he was. Not that anyone besides Kiu would ever know exactly what he was going through…

Jek put his head in his hands. The past several weeks had been a painful time for him.

Kiu woke up. He noticed that Jek was looking miserable. He stood up and quietly walked over to him. "Hey, man, what's wrong?"

Jek didn't answer right away. Kiu waited patiently.

"I've lost almost everything," Jek said quietly. Kiu's antennae perked up. This wasn't like Jek, he never felt sorry for himself, he put other's needs first and thought about the things that were still good in his life. There was only one other time when he had acted like this…

"Listen, we'll figure out a way to get out of this mess, things will get better, I promise."

Jek remained silent and Kiu took that as his cue to leave. He laid back down on the floor and went back to sleep.

After a few more moments, Jek too laid down. He forced himself to remove all the troubling thoughts from his mind. As soon as his mind was blank, he closed his eyes and fell to sleep.

~!#$%^&*

On Mooshi, Lard Nar and the rest of the Resisty were beginning to board their ships. Iris was walking beside Lard Nar, holding his hand.

"Come, Iris, it is time to board our ship. The sooner we take off, the sooner we can help your friends," Lard Nar said, doing his best to ignore the fact that the purple eyed SIR unit was holding his hand.

"Ok!" Iris said, walking a little faster.

As Lard Nar and Iris made their way to the bridge, they received odd looks. Probably because Iris was holding onto Lard Nar's hand as if it was the only thing keeping her alive. He sighed, telling himself that it was for the best.

There were already several other aliens waiting in the bridge for Lard Nar; Shloonktapooxis, the floating purple triangle, being one of them. Two of the others were members of a species known as the Centauri. They resembled centaurs with the heads of foxes. Everyone turned as Lard Nar entered.

"Uh… Sir… Why are you holding that SIR's hand?" Luca, one of the Centauri, asked.

Lard Nar quickly detached Iris's hand from his own. He cleared his throat and avoided the question. "None of your business," he said to the black and white male Centuari. "Now, let us prepare for lift off!"

Several aliens rushed around and began to pull levers and spin dials. Meanwhile, Chimera, a grey and white speckled female Centuari, walked cautiously over to Iris, who had sat down on the floor, tears dripping from her eyes.

"Would you like to come and watch the ship's scanners with me?" Chimera asked the distraught SIR.

Iris looked up at the Centauri. "I guess…" she said quietly, standing up.

"Well, come on then," Chimera said with a small smile. She carefully led Iris over to the scanners. "Now, all we have to do is watch out for any enemy ships, you understand?"

Iris nodded and began to stare intently at the scanners.

~!#$%^&*(

A/N: Alright, how many of you are hating me for not giving more back stories? Be honest! :P Well, that's what the prequel will be for; which, I will hopefully start soon! Then you'll be able to figure out what on Irk is going on with Jek.

Another thing I'd like to mention, the Centauri are owned and created by FarSideOfTheSun, along with Luca and Chimera. She was just nice enough to let me put them in here. ^^ Along those same lines, Jrek and Storm are owned and created by InvaderJrek. I was asked to include them in the story. If you like Lilo and Stitch along with Invader Zim, you should read Farside's story. It's pretty good!

Kota out, PEACE!


	4. Rescue

3rd Person

The sleeping rebels were awakened when _The Massive_ came to a halt.

"Have we docked?" Mir asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"I believe so we have," Dink said, sounding worried.

"Quickly, we need to figure out what we're going to do to escape!" Tak said.

"We'll need to be outside the ship first," Skoodge said. "I think from there we should just do our best to muscle our way free. Whoever gets free can come back and help the others after."

The others nodded uncertainly. It wasn't the best plan, but it was all they could come up with on such short notice.

So they waited patiently to be retrieved by the guards. It was terrible. Everyone had become irritable and anxious, and most of them paced in their cells. Tak was quietly sitting on the floor of her cell watching Zim pace back and forth. She stood, and grabbed Zim by the shoulders.

"Zim, calm down. Wearing a hole in the floor isn't going to make the time go by any faster."

Zim blinked several times, trying to calm down. He looked directly at Tak's eyes and managed a small smile. "Zim will do as Tak requests and stop pacing."

"Thank you," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "If you don't stress yourself out your head will be clearer when we're trying to escape."

"Zim's head also clears when Tak kisses him," Zim said with a smirk.

"Blech," Dink said disgustedly. This earned him glares from Zim and Tak.

"Ah, go easy on 'em, Dink," Kiu said. "Just 'cause you don't like love doesn't mean you have to rain on their parade."

Dink just rolled his eyes in response.

A moment later, the guards came in. "Come on, defects. It's time to meet your fates."

The rebels put their brave faces on and stood up straight. The guards began to usher them through the halls. The SIRs and Mini Moose were taken in a completely different direction.

"We can't lose the SIRs!" Dib whispered. "They're just as important as the rest of us!"

"There's not anything we can do about it," Zim said grimly.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, each one plotting how they were going to escape.

~!#$%^&*(

"See anything on the scanners, Chimera?"

"Nothing so far, sir."

"Good, that means they aren't suspecting us," Lard Nar said, looking relieved. The Resisty had almost reached Irk. "Coming in undetected will give us an advantage."

"Luca, would you mind taking Iris elsewhere for a little while? I need to be able to concentrate completely on the scanners," Chimera said.

"Of course," Luca said, going over to grab Iris.

"Aww, but I wanted to keep helping you look for ships!" Iris said sadly.

"Well, if you come with me, you can be even more helpful!" Luca said.

Iris looked back and forth between the two. Reluctantly, she went with Luca.

"Thanks, Luca," Chimera said, turning back to the scanners.

"No problem," he answered. _Now, where to take the little SIR where she can't cause any trouble? _An idea struck him.

"Hey," he said, looking down at Iris, "Are you hungry? We could go and grab something to eat."

Iris squealed excitedly and took off down the hall.

"Hey, get back here!" Luca cried, taking off after her.

~!#$%^&*

The rebels and their escort had just left _The Massive._

Tension was high and all were waiting for the right moment to attempt to break away.

A walk way that lead from _The Massive_ to the building where they would be executed had been created. There were ropes on either side to keep the cheering crowds back.

The crowds were perfect to escape into.

At almost the exact same moment, Tak and Jek ripped their arms free from their captors. Gaz and Dib stepped on the heels of their guards while the others did their level best to muscle their way free.

"Don't let them escape!" Tallest Red cried. The Tallest had come out right after the rebels.

Jek and Tak had almost made it to the crowd. Unfortunately, the crowd wasn't about to let them through. The thousands of Irkens watching suddenly surged forward, obeying their leader. It didn't take long for Jek and Tak to be re-captured.

"Damn it," Zim cursed.

Everyone was laughing at them now, laughing at their failed escape attempt.

"You won't get away so easily," Tallest Purple sneered. "Guards, continue forward."

The rebels paled but continued forward. Several continued to struggle feebly. Dib's eyes were wide with disbelief.

"Be strong, everyone," Mir said quietly. "Don't give them any satisfaction."

"Easy for you to say, you're still going to come out of this alive!" Zim said angrily.

Mir said nothing as she looked down at the ground.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, seeing all the trouble you've all caused," Red said, walking next to the guards. "I'm beginning to think that it would be best to get rid of all of you. What do you think, Purple?"

"I agree, they're too dangerous to live."

"So it's settled, we'll announce our change in plans once we get there."

Mir, Dink and Kiu paled visibly.

"What about the humans and other aliens?" Purple asked.

"They're no threat, they can be slaves," Red said.

By now, they had reached the execution grounds.

Red and Purple walked onto a platform that began to float in the air. They hovered above the tiled ground, waiting for the crowd to quiet.

The rebels, meanwhile, were stood in the center of the stadium. Cheering and jeering Irkens were everywhere.

"It's been nice knowing you all," Dink said.

"Don't say things like that!" Mir said angrily. "There is still hope!"

Kiu snorted. "Yeah, there's always hope that we'll suddenly sprout wings and be able to fly away, or all the guards will just drop dead. There's no reason to believe that we're all going to die."

Mir didn't get the chance to answer because the Tallest began to speak.

"Welcome, Irkens! As you all know, we recently crushed a resistance on the planet Earth. These are the remaining members of that resistance!"

The crowd cheered.

"Now, the Irken defects will be de-activated! They will no longer be a threat to us!"

More cheering.

"Now, let us begin! Guards, bring Zim forward!"

Now, the crowd went absolutely wild.

The rebels all moved to stand in front of Zim, doing their best to protect him.

"Leave him alone!" Tak yelled at the approaching guards. She clutched Zim.

"Out of our way!" the guards bellowed.

"No!"

The guards shoved their way to Zim and snatched him up.

Tak rushed forward, looking on the verge of tears, and tried to stop them. Zim was struggling the entire time. Several other guards blocked Tak from following. A sob escaped from her.

Cords shot from the ceiling and attached to Zim's PAK. Zim desperately tried to free himself but it was hopeless.

"Begin the deactivation process on three!" Purple said excitedly. "One! Two! Thr…"

Lasers suddenly shot through the roof.

Red and Purple screamed in a very girly fashion and hid. The rebels looked up with hope.

The ceiling began to collapse, destroying the cables attached to Zim in the process. The guards ran to protect their leaders.

Seizing the distraction, the rebels rushed forward toward Zim. Tak hugged him tightly.

Ships burst through the remains of the roof, blasting all who got in their way.

The Resisty had arrived.

~!#$%^&*(

"There they are! Right in the center of the arena!" Lard Nar shouted. "Land and get them on board!"

As soon as the ship had touched the ground the rebels hurried aboard.

"Now, let's get out of here!"

"Wait! We have to find the SIRs and Mini Moose!" Dib exclaimed. "We can't leave them!"

"Alright, but we'll have to make it quick, we won't be able to last very long now that we've been seen!"

They took off, heading toward the dismantling plant.

Iris, hearing the familiar voices, rushed back to the bridge with Luca right behind her.

Mir spotted Iris first. "Iris! You're alright!"

Iris screeched happily at seeing her friends safe and sound. Then she noticed that her robotic friends were missing. "Where's GIR? Where's Lila?"

"We're going to rescue them now," Dink assured her.

"You should be thanking this little robot," Luca said, stepping forward. "If it wasn't for her, you'd all still be down there, being de-activated one by one."

Everyone turned to Iris in shock.

"What?" she asked, looking confused.

"We're here!" Lard Nar shouted.

"Well, let's go rescue them!" Dink said, rushing toward the door. Mir and Zim followed. The others remained, ready to go and help if needed.

Since the dismantling plant was completely run by robots, it didn't take very long to rescue Mini Moose and the SIRs. It took only a few minutes to locate them and a few more minutes to get them turned back on. Then, everyone was safely aboard the ship once more.

"Now, let's get back to the base. I'm worried that we didn't leave it well enough protected," Lard Nar commanded.

~!#$%^&*

A/N: Mission successful! Now, if only they can beat the armada back to their base… DUN DUN DUNNNNN! Oh, and for those of you who haven't read it yet, the first chapter of the prequel is up! I plan on having the second chapter up later tonight. ^^


	5. Buried Feelings

A/N: Ello! I just wanted to mention that I've started a new story, it's a Narnia parody. Zim, Gaz, Dib and Gir are in it, along with a bunch of other characters from books and movies. But you're here for this story, so I won't take up anymore of your time!

~!#$%^&*(

_When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears,_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears,_

_And I held your hand through all of these years,_

_But you still have…_

_All of me._

_Evanescence: My Immortal_

3rd Person

Iris squealed with joy when she saw her robotic friends again.

"GIR! Lila!" She rushed over and hugged them. The rebels smiled.

"Iris!"

Iris was swamped by her friends, all trying to hug her at the same time.

"Wow, enthusiastic little things, aren't they?" Luca commented.

"You haven't seen the half of it!" Dink said, sitting on the floor.

The SIRs continued to squeal happily. Luca covered his ears and did his best to keep his temper in check. Gaz seemed to be getting pretty angry as well, especially since she hadn't played a video game in several days. The Tallest had confiscated her Game Slave.

"Shut up!" she screeched. "Your voices are making me sick!"

The SIRs stopped immediately and looked at her.

"Aww, somebody needs a HUG!" GIR yelled excitedly.

Gaz's eyes widened. "Don't. You. DARE."

But GIR wasn't listening. The rest of the robots were smart enough to stay back.

"Gaz… Don't hurt GIR!" Dib pleaded.

GIR was only feet from Gaz at this point, arms out and walking like a zombie. "I'm gonna hug you!"

"GIR! Stop at once!" Zim commanded.

GIR continued to ignore Zim just like he always had.

Gaz, on the other hand, decided to take action. "All right, enough of this!" She ran forward, snatched GIR up and drop kicked him half way across the room.

"Whee!" GIR cried as he sailed through the air. He landed hard on the floor in a daze.

"Alright, I think it's time we showed our guests to their rooms," Lard Nar said, eyeing Gaz nervously. "Shloonktapooxis!"

The little purple alien rushed up at the sound of his name. "Yeeeessss?"

"Show our guests to their rooms, please. And DON'T annoy them in any way, shape or form."

"Yes, sir!" he turned to the rebels. "Come on everyone! Follow meeeeee!"

~!#$%^&*()_

Jrek was awakened from his sleep by his wrist communicator. He flicked it on quickly.

"Jrek?" Tallest Red demanded.

"Yes, sir! What do you need?"

"The Resisty just came and rescued our captive rebels AND their SIR units! Why didn't you tell us they were headed our way?"

Jrek paled. So _that's_ where they were going.

"I… I apologize, my Tallest. I didn't realize that…"

"Your job is to spy on them! If you see them going somewhere, you do whatever you possibly can to figure out where they are going! Thanks to you, our execution building was demolished and we have lost some of the most dangerous rebels in the universe!"

Jrek yanked at his collar. He had to choose his words very, very carefully. He was already skating on thin ice. "What do wish for me to do?" he asked.

"Right now? I want you to give us the exact coordinates for the Resisty base so we can demolish it. If we succeed, you will be spared."

A glimmer of hope. "Yes, my Tallest! I will send you the coordinates right away!"

"Good. You had better hope that we are successful in our mission." Without another word, the transmission ended.

Jrek quickly sent the coordinates and leaned back against a tree. His mission had just become very, very dangerous. If he didn't do everything exactly as he was told there was a good chance of being re-encoded, and possibly deactivated.

~!#$%^&*()

Dib sat in his room, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. Oh, how he missed his room at home.

_Home…_ he thought longingly. More than likely, home wasn't there anymore. They had failed on Earth, and unless the military was doing a great job, the Earth was probably almost under Irken control.

Dib put his head in his hands. He had sworn, two years ago, that he'd protect Earth, no matter what. But it was all over now, Earth was finished. Now the only thing he could do was keep fighting and hope that he could save other planets from a similar fate.

Meanwhile, all the SIRs were hanging out in the hallway that lead to everyone's separate rooms. They still didn't seem to realize what a terrible situation they were in. Not even Iris.

"Hey! I still gots my piggy!" GIR cried excitedly. He pulled the rubber pig from his head and began to squeak it. He then began to pass it around to the others who all took turns playing with the pig. As the toy was passed back to GIR, Zim stuck his head out of his room.

"SIRs! It is time for bed. Go back to your masters! Come, GIR."

GIR toddled into Zim's room and the other SIRs headed for various rooms. But Iris just stood there, not knowing what to do. Zim noticed her just before he shut his door.

"Ah… That's right. Kota isn't here…" Zim said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

Jek's door opened from across the hall. "Iris can come in here," he said quietly.

Zim was taken aback. "Eh? Well, ok, I guess. Goodnight then." He shut his door as he watched Iris walk into Jek's room.

Zim sat on his bed, intrigued. He had never thought of Jek as someone who would do that kind of thing. But then again, he didn't know Jek very well. But Jek did seem to be acting a little strangely lately. He was much quieter than he had been in the few days before the battle.

A thought occurred to Zim. Was it possible that Jek had, dare he say it, _loved_ Kota?

Zim sat for a moment, considering this. It hadn't seemed like it in the few days he had seen them together. They had seemed like just friends. But he and Kota had been out of each other's lives for close to four years. There was much he didn't know, would never know, about what had happened in those four years.

"Whatcha thinkin 'bout?" GIR asked.

"Nothing" Zim said, waving his hand and dismissing the question.

"Okie dokie!" GIR said, laying down on the floor.

Zim thought for a few more moments before turning off the lights. He laid down on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Goodnight!" GIR called from the darkness.

"Goodnight, GIR."

~!#$%^&*()_

Jek watched as Iris settled down on the floor, his heart aching.

"Thank you for letting me sleep in here," Iris said.

Jek gave her a small smile. "No problem."

"Well, goodnight then!" Iris shut her big purple eyes and went into sleep mode.

Jek sighed. He watched the little sleeping SIR for awhile before he sat down on his bed, head in hands. Zim was probably wondering why he had offered to shelter Iris for the night. It might lead to questions, questions that he didn't feel like answering.

He glanced at Iris again. He was glad that she was safe and sound. The SIR unit was the only thing left of Kota's. He didn't want to lose it.

By now, Jek was tired of thinking, tired of regretting. He just wanted to sleep. So he kicked off his boots and turned the lights off. He drifted off into a fitful sleep, plagued with nightmares.

~!#$%^&*(

A/N: DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! PLOT TWIST! Although I know that there's at least one of you out there that had guessed it already! ^^ Congrats to you! Now there's one more thing to look forward to in the prequel!


	6. Rolling Chairs!

A/N: WOOOO! My cousins are sleeping over at my house tonight and we're gonna have a ZIM marathon! 8D

~!#$%^&*()

_I'm at war with the world and they,_

_Try to pull me into the dark._

_I struggle to find my way,_

_As I'm slipping from your arms._

_~Skillet: Awake and Alive_

3rd Person

Zim awoke the next morning and immediately remembered last night's revelation. He was determined to question Jek at some point today. Just then, Gir hopped up onto the bed, his usual ecstatic self.

"Hiya, masta!" Gir exclaimed, sticking his tongue out and waving his arms. "Let's go see Iris!"

"Gir, I just woke up…"

Gir completely ignored Zim and ran from the room. Zim grumpily got to his feet. He hadn't planned on questioning Jek until later, but whatever.

Zim managed to catch Gir before he ran into Jek's room without knocking.

"Gir, remember with whatever brains you have, you must knock before entering a room!"

"I had no idea!" Gir said happily.

Zim mentally facepalmed and knocked on the door. A few moments later Jek opened the door. He seemed surprised to see Zim.

"Good morning, Zim," he said with a strange tone in his voice.

"Good morning, Jek. I was hoping I could speak to you."

Jek looked apprehensive. "I suppose…" Jek opened the door wider and allowed Zim and Gir in. As soon as Gir entered the room Iris ran over and gave him a hug.

"Hiya, Gir!" Iris said happily. "Let's go find the others!"

"Okie dokie!" Gir and Iris ran from the room, yelling happily. Zim shut the door quietly.

"Now," Zim said. "May I ask you some questions?"

Jek shifted uncomfortably. "Sure…"

"I couldn't help but notice that you've been acting strangely ever since the battle. You haven't been yourself. Why?" Zim asked.

Jek's eyes were filled with sadness. He sat down on the bed and remained silent for a few moments before answering. "It's one thing to lose a friend in a battle, but it's another thing entirely to lose someone you love."

_My suspicions were correct after all, _Zim thought to himself.

"So, you loved her then?" Zim asked to clarify.

"Yes, I did."

"Did she love you back?"

"She did at one point; I like to think that she still did, even after everything that happened."

_Then why did she never tell me? _Zim asked himself sadly.

"If you don't mind, Zim, I'd like to be alone for a little while," Jek said, head in hands.

"Oh, of course," Zim said, leaving the room. As he shut the door behind him, questions flooded his mind. The biggest one was, _why?_

Why had she never mentioned this to him? And why hadn't he bothered to ask her about the four years he hadn't seen her?

And he wasn't going to be getting any answers out of Jek that was for sure. Not yet at least.

So where could Zim get answers to his questions?

And then, an opportunity presented itself, or rather, himself. Kiu had just walked out of his room, playing air guitar.

_Kiu is Jek's best friend! Surely he knows something!_

"Kiu!" Zim called, motioning the purple eyed pilot toward his room.

"Yo!" Kiu said, sauntering over.

"Would you mind if I asked you some questions?" Zim asked.

"I don't see why not!" Kiu said, walking into Zim's room and taking a seat on a chair. He set his feet up on a nearby table. "Ask away!"

"Well, I'm sure you've noticed that Jek has been acting strange lately…"

Kiu's face immediately became more guarded. "Listen, man, this is Jek's problem, not mine. I'm not going to tell you anything he wouldn't tell you himself."

"Zim understands that," Zim said, trying to smooth things over. "I already asked him, and he told me that he loved Kota. But he said he didn't feel like talking at the moment. I was hoping you could enlighten me."

Kiu took a moment to consider. He supposed telling Zim some of the back-story wouldn't hurt.

"Well, I suppose you have a right to know, since you were one of Kota's best friends and all." Kiu took a deep breath. "Well, you know that after you trashed Operation Impending Doom One that she decided to become a pilot. That's how she met us. She became friends with us pretty fast, but soon it became obvious that Jek really liked her."

"Interesting…" Zim said thoughtfully.

"They started doing everything together; Huji and I kinda got pushed to the side. We didn't really mind, what they had was special, especially considering that Irkens rarely love anymore. But then…"

"What?" Zim asked, urging Kiu to continue.

"Kota snapped. She realized that she was a defect and became absolutely terrified. Not long after that she ran away. We didn't see her for two years. When she came back, she was completely professional. Nothing else ever happened between her and Jek."

Zim was quiet. There was so much he'd never know about the Irken he had considered one of his best friends. He may have never known about this if Jek hadn't been acting strangely. "Thank you, Kiu. I appreciate you telling me."

Kiu shrugged. "No problem. She was your friend as much as she was mine. In fact, you were probably better friends."

There was a loud crash in the hallway, followed by yelping.

Zim and Kiu ran to the door and rushed into the hallway.

"WEEEEE OOOOOH!"

Gir and the other SIRs had found some chairs with wheels on the bottom and were racing up and down the hallway. Stubs and Lila had crashed into each other and were lying in a heap on the floor. Gir came around the corner and slammed into them.

Mir, Dink, Tak and Skoodge opened their doors and peeked out to see what all the commotion was about.

"What on Irk?" Tak asked, looking at the pile of SIR units on the floor.

Just then, Luca ran into the hall, looking around frantically. "Has anybody seen our rolling chairs? We can't find them anywhere…"

Iris rounded the opposite corner and plowed Luca down.

A shocked silence engulfed the hallway.

Luca stood and gave Iris a glare. He looked like he was about to say something but decided against it. Instead, he snatched up the rolling chair and began to roll it back to where ever it had come from.

Mir sighed. "Well, I suppose we had better help put these chairs back."

~!#$%^&*()_

A/N: Muahaha! If you want to know the rest of the back story, you'll have to wait until it's put into the prequel! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to update my poor, neglected Maximum Ride fanfic.


	7. Space Battle

A/N: I have now learned that I cannot eat an entire funnel cake by myself. 'Nuff said.

~!#$%^&*()_

_Fight for all you know  
>When your backs against the wall<br>Stand against the liars  
>Stronger than before<br>When your life becomes a war  
>Set the world on fire<em>

_Black Veil Brides: Set The World On Fire_

3rd Person

Jrek had been watching the skies eagerly, dearly hoping that the armada would be the first to arrive. Suddenly, his wrist communicator beeped, signaling an incoming call.

"Yes?" Jrek asked.

"Jrek, we'll be entering the atmosphere in a few minutes, be ready."

"Of course, my Tallest! I'll be there!"

Jrek shut off his communicator and began to run toward the Resisty's base. He was relieved that the Tallest had arrived first. Now his chances at keeping his position were much higher.

Storm ran along beside him, matching him stride for stride.

As Jrek and Storm arrived at the base _The Massive _was just entering the air space. Several troop ships had landed and soldiers were unloading, explosives in hand.

Jrek chuckled. "I hope the Resisty will like their welcome home present!"

~!#$%^&*

"Lard Nar! An emergency transmission was just received from our base! They're being attacked!"

"What? How could that be?"

"They must have left Irk while we were rescuing the SIR units!"

"Full speed to Mooshi!" Lard Nar commanded. "We cannot lose our base!"

~!#$%^&*

The rebels had just finished putting the rolling chairs back when the ship gave a sudden lurch.

"Whoa! What was that?" Dink asked, steadying himself on a desk.

"I don't know, but we'd better go find out!" Luca said, already running toward the bridge.

The rebels followed, SIR units in tow.

"Sir, what's going on?" Luca asked.

"Our base is being attacked by the armada! We need to get there as fast as possible!"

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Mir asked, stepping forward.

"There is, actually," Lard Nar began. "Go to the hangar and prepare the ships, there's bound to be a fight once we enter the planet's air space."

The rebels saluted and headed for the hangar.

"Are we going fight again?" Iris asked warily.

"Probably," Zim said, casting a worried glance at the purple eyes SIR. "You don't have to fight, if you do not wish to."

Iris put on a brave face. "I'll fight, for my mistress."

Kiu looked over and saw Jek wince at the comment.

By now, they had reached the hangar. Scattered all around were small, grey ships. They were all identical to each other.

"Uh, how exactly do we start these things?" Dink asked. "I only know how to fly Voot Cruisers!"

"That's a good question…" Kiu muttered.

"Well, we'll give it our best shot," Tak said, jumping into the cockpit of one of the ships. "Let's go!"

As the rebels learned how to work the Resisty's fighters they entered Mooshi's airspace.

"Prepare for a fight!" Lard Nar yelled over the intercom.

The ships began to hum with energy. The hangar doors were opened moments later and the rebels soared into space.

~!#$%^&*(

"My Tallest! The Resisty have returned! Several ships have been launched and are attacking our fighters!"

"Well, shoot them down!" Red said angrily.

A message was sent out ordering all fighters to counter-attack the Resisty ships. A reply was received from one of the fighters.

"Sir! The pilots are the rebels we lost!"

"Them again?" Purple asked. "They don't give up, do they?"

"Apparently not," Red said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Make every effort to eliminate every one of them!"

The armada's ships began to attack ferociously. They weren't going to show any mercy.

Then again, the rebels weren't, either.

"Got one!" Kiu yelled into his headset.

"Nice job!" Mir answered.

The rebels were getting lucky so far and reinforcements had come as well. Hopefully their luck wouldn't run out.

Jek always felt better when he was behind the controls of a ship, it didn't matter what kind. To him, the fight had become a dance of sorts, nothing more than a bunch of choreographed movements. It just happened that he didn't know the other dancers moves and had to figure them out.

To Kiu, the battle was a way to show off his skills. There was nothing better than a little friendly competition to see who could shoot down the most ships.

Everyone else was just trying to survive. But then again, they weren't pilots.

Now, the SIR units had devised a rather interesting plan. Instead of flying ships, they were just going to fight in space as themselves. They could use their jets to get around and they could easily sabotage the enemy with their various built in tools. So, in the middle of the battle, they exited the hangar unnoticed.

"Let's do this!" Iris said, taking off.

"No survivors!" Mimi called.

"WEEEEE OHHH!" Gir cried.

Stubs and Lila just looked at each other and shrugged. They too took off to find their own victims.

Mimi was the first to reach a ship. She curled her biggest hand into a fist and punched a hole in the fuel tank before jetting off.

"Huh? Almost out of fuel? How can that be?" the pilot cried.

Gir was next. He flew around and grabbed a ship as it passed by, screaming in excitement the entire time.

"Warning! Unidentified object attached to hull!"

"Impossible!" the pilot cried, running a diagnostic.

"Do dee do dee dooo!"

Gir unleashed a storm of rubber pigs at the windshield.

"AH!"

Gir leaped off, back into space just as the ship crashed into another ship, creating an explosion.

"I like destroying!" Gir said happily.

~!#$%^&*

"Sirs! We are losing the battle!"

"WHAT?" Red cried.

The pilot who had been informing them shrank back.

"How can this be?"

"The Resisty have some sort of secret weapons! Our ships have been destroyed without even being touched!"

Tallest Red narrowed his eyes. "Hmm. Well, it doesn't matter, their base is about to be destroyed anyway. Are all of the explosives in place?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Well then what are you waiting for? Blow the place up!"

~!#$%^&*(

Jrek watched from a safe distance as the Resisty base was blown sky high. He laughed in triumph.

"That will teach them to mess with the Irkens!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Storm laughed in a tinny voice.

Jrek's communicator beeped.

"Yes?"

Almighty Tallest Red appeared on screen. Tallest Purple could be seen in the back, throwing donuts in the air as a celebration. "Well, Jrek, it seems that our mission was successful. As a reward for informing us of this opportunity, you get to keep your position as an Invader."

"Thank you, my Tallest!" Jrek said, managing to keep his relief out of his voice.

"Hmph, just be sure you don't make the same mistake again."

"Never! An invader learns from his mistakes!"

"Good. We will be sending reinforcements down soon to ensure that the Resisty do not regain control of this planet. I'll be expecting full reports on any suspicious activity, understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Jrek said, saluting.

Tallest Red cut the transmission.

~!#$%^&*(

"Lard Nar! Our base has been destroyed!"

The bridge went into panic as the news spread. They had lost their base, along with their planet.

"Calm down everyone!" Lard Nar had to yell to be heard. Once everyone had quieted down, he continued.

"I know that this is bad, but we will not give up! We will find a safe place to land and prepare to attack. We WILL regain control of Mooshi, if it's the last thing we do!"

Everyone on the bridge cheered at his little speech.

"Now, let's get the fighters back on board and get out of here!"

~!#$%^&*

A/N: "MY BASE! MY BEAUTIFUL BASE!" ^^

WOOT! I'm going on a trip! Don't worry… With any luck I'll still be able to update, just less frequently. Although, if I disappear off the face of the Earth, do NOT panic! I will be back in about a week's time.


	8. Old Rivals Fight

A/N: I finally got some time to myself to write! :3 I am also going to be holding a contest soon… For those of you who have actually gone and read my giant profile, you'll know that I plan on doing one more story for these characters. But I'm going to need more characters for the last story. I'll let you know about the contest once I have it set up!

~!#$%^&*()_

_It's been a long time coming,_

_And the table's turned around._

'_Cause one of us is going,_

_One of us is going down._

_Sick Puppies: You're Going Down_

3rd Person

The Resisty landed what remained of their fleet in a clearing in the dense forest that covered most of Mooshi. Once settled, they hid the ships with some of the scattered branches that were lying around. They decided it wasn't safe to sleep in the ships as they might be found and blown to bits.

Now the entirety of the Resisty was either sleeping in the trees or was safely nestled among the needles of trees on the ground.

Dib was staring up at the sky. As luck would have it, Mooshi was a lot like Earth, just much more forested. It was making him homesick.

Dib began to wonder about his home. Were the rest of his species still fighting? Or had they lost? He sure hoped not. To think, this had all started with a reject alien coming to Earth on a fake mission…

Wait a second.

Dib sat up, eyes narrowing. None of this would have happened if Zim hadn't come to Earth. In the end, it all came back to Zim.

This was all his fault.

Dib climbed down from the branch he had been lying on. He searched the area for a certain green alien. There he was, lying on the ground, twitching in his sleep.

_He will pay!_

Dib stalked over to Zim's sleeping form and grasped him by the antennae. Zim awoke with a cry of pain, struggling against his captor. Dib was dragging him further into the woods, away from the others so they wouldn't wake up.

When Dib figured they were far enough away he stopped dragging Zim.

"What is the meaning of this?" Zim hissed.

"The Earth is destroyed because of you!" Dib whispered angrily.

"How is the Earth's destruction my fault? I tried to save it!"

"The armada knew about the Earth because of you!"

"They would have found it eventually!" Zim said, voice beginning to rise.

"Yeah, but we would have had more time!" Dib said, voice rising as well.

"Time for what? My species is much more advanced than yours, Dib-stink!"

Dib had had enough. Everything was coming crashing back down now that he was no longer in danger. All the times Zim had tried to take over the Earth, all of their fights, all of their arguments. He had a score to settle.

Zim was tackled unexpectedly by Dib and the fist fight began.

Dib had the upper hand because he was over a foot taller than Zim now.

But then again, height wasn't always an advantage.

"Dib! Zim does not wish to fight with you! We have more important things to worry about!"

"C'mon, Zim. Let's finish this once and for all! You're not scared, are you?"

"Zim, scared?" Zim scoffed, furious. He deployed his PAK legs and raised up above Dib menacingly. "If there's one thing you should know by now, Dib, it's that I have NEVER been afraid of you."

Zim advanced on Dib, smacking him aside with one of his PAK legs. As Dib went sprawling Zim followed, ready to take another swing at his old nemesis.

Dib rolled out of the way just before Zim could get him. He then latched onto one of the PAK legs and attempted to snap it in half.

Zim laughed out loud, as if this was one of their normal, everyday fights. "Pitiful Dib! You haven't learned anything!" Zim shook Dib off the leg as if he were an insect. "Unfortunately for you, I have learned _plenty._"

Dib picked himself up and glared at Zim; although he was beginning to have doubts about picking this fight. "I've learned just as much as you have, Zim."

"I tend to doubt that," Zim saidm advancing on Dib once more.

Dib leapt out of the way and quickly began to climb a tree. He was up hiding in the branches before Zim was able to regain his composure.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, sad little Earth monkey! You cannot hide from ZIM!"

By now, Zim had wandered under the very tree Dib was hiding in. Dib jumped down and landed on Zim's head, knocking him to the ground. Zim's PAK legs were splayed out at odd angles. But it didn't take Zim long to recover.

"Nice try, Dib, but you've got to do better than that!" Zim said, standing back up.

The two foes stood across from each other, waiting for their enemy to make the first move. They launched themselves at each other at the same time.

"STOP!"

Dib and Zim collided in mid-air, hitting each other brutally. They rolled around on the ground for a few moments before they were pulled apart.

"We cannot fight each other!" Tak said, holding Zim back. "There are more important things to worry about!"

"That's what I said!" Zim cried, fighting Tak's hold. "Dib refused to listen!"

"Dib, why did you start this fight?" Kiu asked, stepping forward. Jek, Skoodge and Mir had teamed up to hold Dib back, considering that he was taller than the rest of them.

"It's his fault the Earth is in the position it's in! If he hadn't come, then I'd be at home right now instead of out in the middle of nowhere!"

"Dib, there isn't anything we can do about it now!" Tak said, releasing Zim and stepping forward. "Bringing up old rivalries won't help. Zim and I managed to put our differences behind us, why can't you do the same?"

Dib went silent and stopped struggling. After a few more moments the three Irkens released him, deciding that he no longer wanted to fight.

"Come on, Dib," Gaz said, tugging on her brother's arm in a very un-Gaz like way. "Let's go back to sleep."

Dib allowed himself to be led back to the place where they were sleeping, not able to remember the way by himself. He climbed back onto the branch he had been lying on before and looked at the sky once more. Below him, Gaz spoke.

"I miss home, too, ya know."

"Really? I would have thought that you didn't care."

"Well, I only miss it because I left most of my stuff there."

"Ah."

"That, and it's the only planet with Game Slaves."

Dib chuckled. "Good night, Gaz."

~!#$%^&*

A/N: I HAD to have Dib and Zim fight, for old times' sake. I also decided to include Gaz because I hadn't been including her an awful lot lately. ^^


	9. Run!

A/N: _Conversation between my siblings and I…_

Me: *pointing at brother* I think that you'd be Zim if you were in Invader Zim. *Points at sister* You'd be Gir. Who do you guys think I'd be?

Siblings: *Sharing a look* Dib.

Me: *on the outside* -_- *on the inside* :D

~!#$%^&*()

_We'll run away, keep everything simple,  
>Night will come down, our guardian angel,<br>We rush ahead, the crossroads are empty,  
>Our spirits rise, they're not gonna get us.<em>

_T.A.T.U: Not Gonna Get Us_

3rd Person

Jrek was walking through the woods surrounding the remains of the Resisty base, searching for the rebels.

"Storm, search for any life forms in the surrounding area," Jrek commanded his SIR unit.

"Yes, sir!" Storm leapt forward and began to scan for traces of heat. He suddenly froze. "Sir, there seem to be nearly one hundred large creatures hiding in the trees several miles ahead."

Jrek grinned evilly. "Excellent work!" He turned on his communicator and Tallest Red appeared.

"What do you have to report, Jrek?"

"Sir, I believe that we have found the rebels. I request a unit to be sent to help eliminate them."

"You'd better be right about this, Jrek. I'll dispatch one hundred soldiers your way. They should be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you, my Tallest."

Red said nothing and cut the communication.

"Now, Storm, let us get ready for our assault on the rebels!"

~!#$%^&*

The sky was just beginning to turn grey when Zim awoke to the sound of snapping branches.

"Eh?" Zim asked, sitting upright. "Who's there?"

He received no answer, but he felt unnerved all the same. He put his hand on Tak's shoulder, who was lying on the ground next to him.

"Tak, wake up."

Tak's eyes fluttered slightly. Zim shook her gently.

"Tak, I think someone is watching us!"

Tak sat upright, yawning. "Hmm?"

Another twig snapped, this one much closer. Tak heard it and tensed.

"Wake the others," she hissed.

Zim did as he was told and began to shake the others awake. Before much longer everyone was awake and listening for any sign of danger.

Then…

"FIRE!"

Lasers fired from all sides, instantly killing several of the Resisty members.

"RUN!" Dink shouted.

The rebels and Resisty members leapt from where they had been sitting and began to tear through the forest, running for their lives.

"Don't let them escape!"

Zim's antennae perked up at the sound of the voice. It was very familiar to him, yet he couldn't place it.

Lasers continued to fly past, every once in awhile they'd hit their target. Every time someone fell the survivors pushed themselves faster, determined to survive.

There was a high pitched scream. Tak was down, but still alive.

"Tak!" Zim cried, rushing to her side. He helped her up but she fell again. The blast had hit her leg and she was unable to stand. Zim looked back to see their pursuers were gaining on them quickly. He looked back down to Tak. Fear was evident in her eyes.

"Zim, Tak!"

Chimera ran over, scooped the two Irkens up and deposited them on her back. She then took off running, quickly catching up to the others. Zim held Tak steady, making sure she didn't fall.

"Good work, Chimera!" Lard Nar panted.

"We have to lose these guys!" Mir said, gasping for air.

"No… Really?" Kiu said, sarcastic as ever.

"But how?" Dink asked, ignoring Kiu.

"Maybe if we split up…" Jek said, thinking aloud.

"But how would we find each other again?" Mir demanded.

"I don't know!" Jek said, frustrated. "But it's the only idea I have!"

"And it isn't a bad one, either," Lard Nar said, risking a glance back. "They're beginning to gain on us!"

"I don't care what we do as long as we can lose those guys!" Luca shouted.

"Alright, everyone, split up into groups of three or four! We'll find each other later!" Lard Nar commanded.

Chimera picked up Skoodge, tossed him gently onto her back and took off to the North; the three Irkens clinging to her for dear life.

Luca began to do the same with Mir, Lila and Iris. He went northeast.

Jek, Kiu, Dink and Stubs headed northwest while Mimi, Gir, Minimoose and Lard Nar continued North like Chimera had. Dib, Gaz and two other Resisty members followed Luca. Everyone else split up in similar fashions.

Jrek, Storm and the troops came to a brief halt where the rebels had split up.

"Everyone, get into three groups right now!" Jrek commanded. "One goes North, one goes northeast and one goes northwest. Go!" Jrek and Storm headed North with close to fifty soldiers following them.

"They won't escape from me!" Jrek hissed.

~!#$%^&*(

Chimera was running for all she was worth, determined to escape. But the three Irkens on her back weren't helping.

"Do you wish for Zim and Skoodge to get off?" Zim asked.

"Only if you guys will be able to keep up!" Chimera panted.

Well, that wasn't going to happen. Chimera was a heck of a lot faster than Zim and Skoodge.

"There they are! GET THEM!"

Chimera pushed herself faster but soon realized that they weren't after her. There must be others behind them!

"Zim! See who's behind us!"

Chimera felt Zim shift on her back to look. "It appears to be Gir, Mimi, Minimoose and Lard Nar! The soldiers are closing in on them!"

Gir screamed wildly, but whether it was in fear or excitement, Zim wasn't sure. Then, Zim spotted someone familiar in the soldier's ranks. His eyes widened. No! It couldn't be!

"Chimera beast! Turn around! We have to help them!" Zim cried.

Chimera growled angrily but turned around. She wasn't about to let her commander die.

"Zim, Skoodge, jump off when we reach them! Tak, hold on tight!"

As Chimera neared their endangered friends Zim and Skoodge prepared to leap. Tak gripped Chimera tighter.

"Now!" Chimera shouted.

Zim and Skoodge leapt and hit the ground running. "Turn and fight!" Zim commanded Gir, Minimoose and Mimi.

The robots obeyed instantly. That was surprising for Gir, whose eyes we're now a blood red instead of the usual cyan. Weapons popped from Gir's head and Mimi readied her weapon like hand. Minimoose floated threateningly. Well, as threateningly as a purple moose can be.

Lard Nar spun around as well, looking a little fearful. Zim and Skoodge got into fighting positions. Chimera came back around, Tak on her back with a laser gun in hand.

"Ah, a stand off!" Jrek said, coming to a stop. "This should be fun!"

Zim's eyes widened. "J-Jrek?"

Jrek smirked. "Why, hello little brother!"

All eyes were on Zim and Jrek.

"Brother?" Tak gasped.

"That's right!" Jrek sneered. "And it'll be great to get revenge on my sibling. Soldiers, prepare to fire!"

~!#$%^&*

"Did you hear that?"

"I did indeed, Ina. It sounds like someone is in trouble!"

"Or a bunch of some ones."

"Do you think we should go help?"

"I do. Go and find Rinki, ask him to send out his best warriors to find those in trouble. Hurry, Kicu!"

~!#$%^&*

Dib, Gaz and the two other Resisty members were cornered. The soldiers advanced on them, eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

"Say goodnight, rebel scum!"

Just then, several large shapes dropped down and began to attack the soldiers. Cries of surprise and screams of terror rang out. Luca, who was just in hearing range, heard the screams and doubled back, thinking that members of the resistance were in danger.

As Luca, Mir and the two robots came into view they stopped short, amazed.

Dead Irken soldiers were all over the place and they few surviving were either attempting to run for their lives or were locked in combat with tall, reptile like creatures with sharp claws and fangs. Several of them were wielding spears or a bow. Dib, Gaz and the Resisty members were cowering in the shade of a tall tree.

Mir, Lila and Iris leapt off of Luca's back and rushed over to their friends to help. Luca charged and began to help the creatures fight the remaining Irkens.

When all of the soldiers were gone the creatures turned to the rebels. They said nothing but another, smaller shape leapt down from a tree and landed in front of the creatures. As she stood from her crouched position the rebels were able to get a good look at her.

She was Irken. Her eyes were light pink in color and her outfit was lilac colored. She was average Irken height. A SIR unit with hot pink eyes landed beside her.

"You are an Irken!" Mir exclaimed.

The young Irken girl smiled. "Yes, I am. My name is Ina. It's good to actually see some of my own species again."

"H-how long have you been here?" Mir asked.

"Nearly my entire life. You see, I was… Naturally born. My parents, concerned about my safety, brought me here. Unfortunately, they went off to gather food one day and never came back."

"That's terrible!" Dib said sadly.

Ina smiled sadly. "It's alright. I don't remember them very well, and I've been living happily with the Zuphles ever since."

"The Zuphles?" Dib asked.

Ina gestured to the creatures behind her. They stood at attention.

"I just have one question," Mir said, eyes narrowing. "If you've lived her your entire life, how did you get a SIR unit?"

"Very observant," Ina commented. "An Irken scout came here several years ago. He had various parts and things in his ship, which we pillaged. I made Lis from those parts."

The little pink eyed SIR waved happily.

"Uh, I hate to be a drag," Luca began. "But we should go and help the others!"

"There are others?" Ina asked.

"Yeah," Dib said. "Lots of others. They'll need our help!"

"Of course!" Ina said. She turned to the Zuphle warriors. "Come on! Let's help our new friends!

~!#$%^&

A/N: In case you're wondering, my little sister created Ina and Lis. She's only seven years old! :D She's a creative one. I created the Zuphles, which can be found on DeviantArt. Names are pronounced as…

Zuphle: (Zoo, fel)

Ina: (E na)

Lis: Exactly how it looks :P

I'll be updating my other stories shortly!


	10. Jek VS Jrek

A/N: Alright, I got some more entries! ^^ Only one person has entered a female Irken so far… I seriously don't bite! I've loved all the entries so far! If you haven't entered yet… Why not? I'm not biased or anything! (Well, except if my friend decides to enter…)

~!#$%^

_We'll never stop,_

_Because we're only getting better._

_We're not making this up,_

_So just write another letter!_

_Hedley: Bones Shatter_

3rd Person

The small group ran through the forest, searching for their friends.

The Zuphles were surprisingly fast. Ina wasn't having any trouble keeping up, either.

Before too long, they stumbled upon the standoff between Chimera, Zim, Tak, Skoodge, Lila, Iris, Lard Nar and the soldiers. Jrek was just about to give the order to fire.

"Attack!" Ina cried.

The Zuphle warriors rushed forward into the crowd of Irken soldiers. Cries of surprise rang out and lasers began to fire.

Zim used the surprise attack to his advantage and tackled his brother. They fought each other brutally, bloodlust in Jrek's eyes.

Not too far away, the remaining rebels heard the sound of the fight, as did the remaining soldiers.

"They may need help!" Jek said. He motioned for the others to follow him. "Let's go!"

The battle continued to grow more furious and bodies began to litter the ground, mostly Irken. The Zuphles had the home field advantage here.

Ina and Lis worked together as they fought. Every move they pulled was beautiful, almost like the battle was a dance. Ina would toss Lis lightly into the air, and once the little SIR unit was there, she'd fire her built in laser gun. As she landed she used her momentum to give Ina a boost to kick the nearest Irken down. They continued to do this and other moves throughout the entire fight.

Tak and Chimera also worked as a team, plowing down the soldiers and shooting them so they stayed down.

"Gir! Defend your master!" Zim cried. Jrek had pinned him down and was holding a laser gun to his head.

Gir had been riding on top of a soldier's head, yanking on his antennae, but as soon as he heard that Zim was in trouble he rushed to help.

"Your little robot can't save you, Zim! Storm! Get the defective robot!"

Storm launched himself at Gir, who screamed as they collided. The two SIR units wrestled with each other angrily, each with his own weapons pointed at the other.

Jrek laughed evilly. "Say goodnight, little brother!"

"No!"

Ignoring the pain her leg, Tak managed to leap at Jrek and knock him off of Zim. Jrek's laser gun went flying opposite him.

"Tak!"

Zim got up as quickly as possible to help his girlfriend.

Jrek and Tak tussled on the ground for a few moments before Jrek suddenly stopped fighting. Tak took the opportunity to slug him right in the squidilyspooch.

Jrek's breath left him with a wooshing noise. Zim came over and helped Tak stand, but not before kicking Jrek, hard.

"Stay away from us, Jrek!" Zim hissed.

Chimera ran over to help Tak once again. Jek and the remaining rebels had finally reached the battle, but it was almost over anyway.

Jek ran over to Mir, who had just finished off a soldier. "What happened?" Jek demended.

Mir shrugged. "I'll explain everything after. But for now, fight. Oh, and don't attack the aliens, they're helping us." She ran off leaving Jek blinking and thoroughly confused.

"Ok, then…" Jek ran off as well to finish off the remaining soldiers.

That's when Jrek saw him. (Quick A/N: This part might get a little confusing since the names are so similar, so pay extra attention!)

Jrek recognized the blue eyed Irken from the battle on Earth. Jrek had seen the look in his eyes when he had shot that one girl down and she had died. (A/N: Ocular implants are standard invader issue! ^^) He now saw an opportunity to harass an enemy.

Jrek stood shakily, still out of breath from Tak's punch, and made his way over to Jek.

"Hey, you!" Jrek called out once he was in hearing range.

Jek turned around and looked at Jrek with narrowed eyes. "Yes? Come to surrender?"

Jrek snickered. "No. But I _do_ have something to tell you."

Jek looked at Jrek suspiciously.

"You didn't happen to know a certain ruby eyed female resistance leader, did you?"

Jek visibly tensed. "W-why would you want to know that?" Jek said, trying to keep his voice calm.

Jrek grinned, serrated teeth bared. "Oh, no important reason. I just thought you might like to know who killed her."

Jek was having a hard time keeping control now. "Do you know? Who! Who did it?"

By now, Jrek was the only soldier still standing. Everyone had turned to watch the conversation between the two enemies. Zim seemed to realize what was about to happen.

"Get out of here, Jrek! You've lost! Or would you rather we killed you? Because believe me, I certainly wouldn't mind that, _brother._"

"I can't leave just yet, Zim," Jrek laughed. "Not until I've said what I have to say."

"Jek! Don't listen to him! Kill him now!" Zim was getting worried.

But Jek was determined to find out who had killed Kota. He ignored Zim. "Who?" he asked again.

"I did!" Jrek said, deploying his PAK legs.

Jek's eyes went wide, then narrowed in fury. He charged at Jrek, but he was already gone. Jrek was already disappearing into the dense foliage, Storm on his back. Jek desperately tried to follow, but Zim held him back.

"No! That's exactly what he wants!" Zim said, struggling to hold Jek back. Kiu came over to help. Jek struggled for a little while longer before giving up. He sat down on the ground, exhaustion and depression taking over.

The others stared, horrified and confused. They had no idea what had just happened to the brave Irken they considered their friend.

Jek began to sob quietly, knees brought up to his chest.

"What happened?" Mir asked, concerned.

Zim rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I don't know if it's my place to say anything…" he cast a glance over at Kiu, who was the only other one who knew Jek's secret.

Kiu grimaced. "They need to know, but Jek needs to be the one to tell them."

"Tell us what?" Dink asked.

"We've all noticed something's changed," Dib commented. "He hasn't been acting the same since the battle…" A thought began to form as he trailed off.

Iris walked over to Jek and gave him a hug. That's when Mir, Dib and Tak put two and two together. Mir's eyes widened, not wanting to believe what she thought she had figured out, even if it made perfect sense.

"Oh no…" she whispered.

Tak's eyes grew sad in her sudden realization.

Dib was the only one of the three brave enough to voice their conclusion. "Did, did he love her?" he asked quietly. "Kota, I mean."

Zim and Kiu shared a look, and then nodded together.

Everyone who hadn't figured it out gasped or murmured quietly.

Ina, who had no idea what anyone was talking about, looked at them, confused. "What is going on?" she asked.

Dink walked over to Ina. "It might be best for us to explain somewhere else, somewhere not so dangerous."

Ina nodded quickly. "Of course, that makes sense." She turned toward the rebels. "Everyone, follow me! I'll lead you to our village. You'll be safe there."

One by one, the rebels began to follow the pink eyed Irken and the Zuphle warriors. Kiu managed to convince Jek to stand and walked beside him the entire time.

After walking for a little while (no one could tell how long it was exactly) they emerged from the dense forest and came out onto a cliff. Below the cliff was a beautiful meadow, surrounded on all sides by mountains. A lake was off to one side, shimmering in the morning light. Wildflowers bloomed everywhere, little splashes of color in a sea of green. And right in the middle of the meadow stood several wooden buildings on a patch of bare ground.

Ina pointed to the buildings. "That's our village! Come on, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can help you!"

~!#$%^&*()_

A/N: I picture the planet Mooshi looking a lot like Yellowstone National Park, for those of you who have been there. It's one of my favorite places to be. I used to live only an hour away from it, actually. I got to go back this summer… It was so beautiful. I put some pictures on my DeviantART. Oh, and my new avatar shows a Zuphle, for those of you curious about how they looked exactly!


	11. The Village

A/N: QWESRFGHJKLBGMFSIFGHLN OK HERE ARE THE WINNERS! :D

Irken Female: Kat, by Invader Kat 27

Irken Male: Tarklotaz, by Haku1013

Human Female: Drey, by DragonGirl156

Human Male: Patrick, by InvaderZamG.a.r

Congrats! Look for them when _A New Universe_ starts! Anyone who didn't win, don't fret, I have something else coming in the next couple of chapters here… Something where everyone will be a winner! Now, onto the story!

~!#$%^&*(

_Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?_

_You build up hope, but failure's all you've known._

_Remember all the sadness and frustration,_

_And let it go. Let it go._

_Linkin Park: Iridescent_

3rd Person

The rebels made their way tiredly down the slope after Ina and the Zuphle warriors. The warriors were quick at getting down as they were constantly climbing down the rocky slopes that surrounded their homes.

When they finally reached solid ground, the SIR units almost disappeared in the grass, that's how tall it was.

"Mistress! I cannot see you!" Lila cried.

Mir chuckled and picked the blue eyed SIR up. "I am right here, dear. Here, you can ride on my shoulders." Mir hoisted Lila onto her shoulders.

"Good idea!" Dink said, lifting Stubs out of the grass as well. The yellow eyed SIR unit smiled at his master.

Chimera did the same for Mimi, even though the improved SIR unit snorted in contempt at being treated like the old versions. But she didn't argue.

Gir looked at Zim with big, pleading eyes that were barely visible in the grass.

Zim sighed, unable to come up with a good argument for forcing Gir to walk. "Ok, Gir, I will carry you."

Gir squealed with joy as Zim picked him up and set the little robot on his shoulder.

Jek had been looking at the ground ever since they had started walking, but he had calmed down. Now, he looked around for Iris, who had been walking next to Lila.

Iris was looking up at the other SIR units and their masters sadly. Jek managed a small smile, walked over and picked the lilac eyed SIR unit up.

Iris's eyes widened in surprise as she was lifted off the ground. She looked to see who had decided to carry her.

Lilac eyes met blue ones, and Jek pulled Iris into a quick hug before setting her on his shoulder.

Kiu had been watching his friend carefully the entire time. Now he smiled as he saw Jek happy again. In fact, it was Jek's first smile since Kota had died.

Iris giggled as she waved to Lila from Jek's shoulder.

Ina looked back to see the Irkens carrying their SIR units on their shoulders. Her eyes widened in surprise. Her parents had always referred to their species as brutal and uncaring. These Irkens didn't fit their description at all! They were all laughing and smiling, even the one who had been crying before.

Ina smiled and picked up Lis. The pink eyed SIR looked up at her mistress curiously and said nothing, as usual. You see, when Ina had stumbled upon the ship full of old parts, there had been everything needed to make a SIR except for a voice box. Therefore, Lis was mute. But that didn't keep them from communicating with each other.

They had almost reached the village now. Several Zuphles were peaking out of their huts, curious at the new arrivals.

The warriors began to break away from the group, each one headed to its own hut. Ina motioned for the rebels to follow her. They would be going to Chief Rinki's hut.

"Ina!"

Ina looked over to see her friends Kiku and Appala coming over. Kiku was a brave, if not a little over cautious, female Zuphle with brown scales. Appala was a ditzy, friendly, pink scaled Zuphle. She was also daughter of Chief Rinki.

"Hey!" Ina said happily, giving Kiku a hug.

"You're alright!" Kiku said, returning the hug. The rebels stood around awkwardly.

"Of course I am!" Ina said, laughing. "It's not like I've never fought before!"

"Well, you know me. I worry about everyone."

"Who are these people?" Appala asked, looking the rebels over.

"Oh! These are the aliens we rescued. We were just on our way to your father's hut, actually. You're welcome to come along, if you want."

"No, that's ok," Appala said, waving one clawed hand. "I'm sure I'll hear plenty about these guys after you finish speaking to my father."

"Ok, well, I'll see you later then!" Ina said, waving as she continued toward Rinki's hut.

Appala and Kiku waved back and headed out into the meadow, picking some wildflowers along the way.

Ina turned toward the rebels, addressing them as a group. "Ok, stay close. And when we're talking to Rinki, don't speak unless spoken to, he's not the easiest person in the universe to get along with."

Everyone nodded and the Irkens proceeded to explain to the SIRs that they had to be absolutely quiet.

They followed Ina to the far end of the village and into the largest hut.

"Chief Rinki?" Ina asked as they stepped into the dark hut.

"Ina?"

"Yes, sir."

"Come in! Did you find the creatures that needed helping?"

"I did indeed, sir. And I brought them here."

Chief Rinki stepped out of the shadowy interior of the hut. His scales were a brilliant orange and he wore a hat made of leaves on his head. He looked at the rebels suspiciously. Clearly he did not like the idea of strangers in his village, none the less in his house!

"And just where are these aliens from?" He asked, continuing to look them over.

"Uh…" Ina said, looking at the Irkens for help. "They didn't say."

"Well?" Rinki asked, looking at the tallest member of the group, which happened to be Dib, because of his hair scythe.

Dib was taken aback but answered quickly enough. "Gaz and I are from the planet Earth," he said, gesturing to Gaz, who was standing there grumpily. "The Irkens are from Irk… and… I'm not sure where everyone else is from," Dib said, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "But we're all fighting for the same thing, freedom for the planets held by the Irken empire."

Rinki raised an eyebrow curiously. "I have never heard of planet Earth, and I only know of Irk because of Ina here," he said, gesturing to Ina. "Can you enlighten me about your situation?"

"Sure, but I'll need everyone's help to tell the entire thing, and it's a long story," Dib said.

Rinki gave a small smile. "I have nothing else planned, and I can always use a good story."

"Sir, if I may, perhaps it would be better to call the entire village to come and listen? That way they wouldn't have to explain everything again."

Rinki considered for a moment, then nodded. "I suppose. It is almost time for dinner anyway. They can be tonight's entertainment."

The rebels looked at each other anxiously.

Ina smiled. "Great! Should I let Appala know that it is time to start the fire?"

"Yes, please do," Rinki said, beginning to walk further into his hut again. "And please escort our guests to the village center. Have someone set up a special place for them."

"Yes sir!" Ina said. "Come on! Let's get you guys ready for dinner."

~!#$%^&*(

The sun was just beginning to set when the village was gathered for dinner. Everyone was seated around the fire, and the rebels were in the center, ready to tell their story.

They had decided to give a short back story on the Irken empire first. After they finished that, they went from the night that Earth had been invaded. Zim spoke first, explaining that he and Dib had been enemies before the invasion. Zim continued to tell the story until he got to Dink's arrival on Earth. Then Dink picked up from there.

The rebels had the attention of the entire village, from the littlest child to the oldest elder. By now, they had reached the fight. Dink trailed off, allowing Tak to pick up.

Kiku had seen Tak's leg wound earlier and had bandaged it up for her, so Tak wasn't in as much pain now.

Tak closed her eyes as she told the village about the battle. It turns out she had a knack for storytelling. Her words painted a vivid picture, and everyone was hanging on her every word. She kept her voice steady as she reached Huji's death, and Kota's death after.

Several villagers had tears running down their faces, but no one spoke.

Dib picked up after Tak had finished speaking about the battle. He told everyone about their escape attempts, how Zim almost died, and about their rescue. Mir picked up and took the story all the way to the end.

"And now they're here, on your world," Mir finished gravely. There were murmurs and gasps from the villagers. Rinki stood and made his way over to the rebels.

"Are you certain of this?" he demanded.

Everyone nodded.

Rinki hissed like a snake. "This is very, very bad. We already have enough trouble with those blasted Shadcats, and now we have a new threat?"

"Sir, we fought some of the Irken soldiers today," Ina said, loudly enough for everyone to hear. "Not a single one of us died."

Rinki listened and his face grew hopeful. "Maybe we can defeat them, then!" he said.

"I believe we can," one of the warriors piped up. "They weren't incredibly hard to fight, the problem was that there were so many of them."

Rinki was deep in thought and had begun to pace. He ran his hand over his jaw, formulating a plan. Finally he stopped and turned to the gathered villagers.

"My tribe, I have come to a decision. We will help our guests defeat their enemy, as they have now become our enemy."

Cheering rang out.

"Start preparing, as we may be attacked. Be ready as well, because in one week's time, we will bring the fight to them!"

The villagers continued to cheer as Rinki turned toward the rebels.

"Now, I am sure you are tired. Unfortunately, we have no extra room. You can sleep by the fire, or out in the meadow if you wish. But be warned, we are not the only intelligent species on this planet."

The rebels nodded, and several yawned.

"Thank you so much for allowing us to stay here," Lard Nar said. "We appreciate it."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Rinki said, walking off.

The rebels settled down next to the fire. Everyone was asleep within a few minutes, feeling safe for the first time in weeks.

~!#$%^&*(

A/N: I decided that a happy chapter was needed. I can only write depressing stuff for so long! Although, I have a feeling that this is fine with all of you. ;) The next several chapters should be pretty calm as well. Wow, this story is starting to wind down… slowly but surely. There's only a few more things that I need to write about after the fight!


	12. Curious

A/N: Heh, this should be an interesting chapter… Basically Ina and Kiku go around and study their guests. I think it's cute. ^^

~!#$%^&*()_\

_If everyone cared and nobody cried,_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied,_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride,_

_Then we'd see a day where nobody died._

_Nickelback: If Everyone Cared_

3rd Person

Ina awoke with the sun the next morning, as usual. She sat up on her bed made of Shadcat skins and wood from the surrounding forest. (A/N: A Shadcat is kind of like a black panther. I'll post a link on my profile for a picture.)

Her hut was furnished very simply, mostly because all furniture in the village had to be handmade. Straw mats covered the dirt floor and two chairs sat side by side in one corner. Lis was lying on the ground in sleep mode.

Ina stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She blinked several times before standing up. "Lis, time to wake up!"

Lis was on her feet instantly. The SIR's pink eyes turned red for a brief moment before returning to normal.

"Come on, let's go check on our guests!" Ina said, motioning toward the door. Lis followed obediently.

Most of the rebels were still asleep, but several of them were awake. Zim and Tak were sitting next to each other a little ways out in the meadow, watching the sun rise. Jek was off on his own, sitting on a boulder that had fallen from the cliff overlooking the meadow. He was watching the sun rise as well, his knees drawn up to his chest.

Lila and Iris were using their jets to fly around the meadow. They were currently playing tag.

Ina took a deep breath of the morning air. This was her favorite time of day. The sun shone down on the meadow and made the dew on all the plants sparkle.

Lis watched Iris and Lila play and looked at her mistress with a questioning gaze. Ina understood what her robot was asking.

"Go and play, if that's what you want," she said with a smile.

Lis did a happy dance and took off toward the other two SIRs.

Ina watched the robots play for a few moments before someone interrupted her train of thought.

"Good morning, Ina!"

Ina turned to see Kiku headed toward her, a bright smile on her reptilian face.

"Hey!" Ina said as Kiku came to stand next to her.

"Our guests sure are interesting, aren't they?" Kiku said quietly as she watched Zim and Tak.

"Yeah…" Ina trailed off for a moment. "Heh, they're like living tragic heroes."

"Especially that Jek guy," Kiku said, glancing at Jek.

Ina nodded. "He must have a pretty interesting back story."

"In fact," Kiku began, rubbing her chin, "I bet all of our guests have interesting back stories."

"Speaking of our guests…" Ina said, pointing at the rest of the rebels. "They seem to be waking up."

Sure enough, most of them were stirring, and the rest of the SIRs had gone to play with Iris, Lila and Lis.

"You want to go and talk to them?" Kiku asked.

"That's what I've wanted to do since last night!" Ina said, headed over to where the rebels had camped.

Ina and Kiku walked up to Mir first.

"Um, hi!" Ina said a little awkwardly.

Mir blinked but then smiled. "Why, hello again. Did you need something?"

"Well," Ina began, feeling more and more awkward. "We were just hoping to find out more about you. It's not every day we get visitors."

Mir blushed. "Well, I don't really have anything to do… So… Ask away!"

Kiku and Ina grinned. Ina decided to ask the first question.

"What did you do before you became a rebel?"

"Well, I _had_ been an Invader," Mir said. "But that didn't last long because of Zim." She pointed to Zim, who was still sitting with Tak in the meadow.

"You were an Invader?" Kiku asked, thoroughly confused. "But, isn't that, like, the exact opposite of what you are now?"

"Well, yes," Mir said, slightly embarrassed. "But not long after that I realized that I didn't quite agree with everything the Tallest did; especially converting planets into single purpose places."

"I guess that makes sense," Ina said.

"Hey guys," Dink said, walking over. "What's goin' on?"

"We've just been asking some questions," Kiku said.

"Yes, they wanted to know what I did before I became a rebel," Mir said with an amused smile. "Why don't you tell them your story, Dink?"

"Well, my story isn't much different from Mir's," Dink said. "I was an invader as well. I mostly became a rebel because Kota asked me to, and she was one of my best friends." Dink grimaced. "But I also hate it that the Tallest are essentially wiping out all the beauty in the universe. That makes me mad."

"You mentioned Kota last night," Ina said. "Who exactly was she? You only said that you were all on Earth because of her and that she died."

Mir and Dink looked at each other. "Well, we can't give you the full story about her," Dink said, sounding a little sad. "She was an invader as well, but I think she was against all of that the entire time. She just didn't have complete control of herself."

Kiku and Ina were listening intently.

"After Zim ruined Operation Impending Doom 1," Mir began, "Kota went off to be a pilot."

"And then what happened?" Ina asked.

Mir smiled sadly. "You will have to ask either Kiu or Jek about that. We didn't see her again until she called us asking for our help."

Kiku and Ina glanced over at Jek, who was still sitting on the boulder. Then they looked at Kiu, who was trying to strike up a conversation with Skoodge. It wasn't working.

Dink smiled. "Hey, don't be afraid of either of them. Kiu's a pretty nice guy, and Jek… Well, he's nice but he's been a bit… closed off lately."

"Yes, it may be better for you to talk to Kiu first," Mir said.

"Alright, thanks!" Ina said as they walked away.

"And so the clown said to the Tallest…"

"Excuse me?" Ina asked as she walked up to Kiu.

Kiu turned around and Skoodge used the distraction to his advantage and left.

"Wassup?" Kiu asked.

"Well, we've been wondering about… Kota. Dink and Mir told us a little bit about her, but they said you'd know more."

"Ooooh, you wanna know about her?" Kiu asked. His good mood was slightly dampened. "I only knew her for a couple years before she died. You see, when she became a pilot, Jek, Huji and I befriended her. But then…" Kiu trailed off, not wanting to say anything else.

Kiku and Ina waited expectantly.

"You know," Kiu began, "If you can work up the courage to ask Jek, that's probably a better idea. He knew her the best."

Ina and Kiku looked at each other uncomfortably.

"Aw, you guys aren't scared of him, are you?" Kiu teased. "He's a nice guy!"

Ina straightened up. "We're not scared, right Kiku?"

"That's right!" Kiku said.

"Well, then go and talk to him!" Kiu laughed.

"We will!" Ina said, marching off. Kiku followed.

Kiu laughed quietly. "Wait until I tell Jek about them."

~!#$%^&*()_

A/N: Just FYI, Ina is a few years younger than the other Irkens, and Kiku is approximately the same age as Ina in Zuphle years, if that makes sense. I think Jek would get a good laugh if he knew that Ina and Kiku were scared of him. ^^


	13. Lightning Lizards

A/N: I think I need to have Dib and Gaz in this story more… Oh, and Mini Moose! I can't keep forgetting him! Just FYI, I only have a little over a week until I go back to school… My updates will be MUCH less frequent. Maybe only on weekends or something… We'll see.

~!#$%^&*(

_You would not believe your eyes,_

_If ten million fireflies,_

_Lit up the world as I fell asleep._

'_Cause they fill the open air,_

_And leave teardrops everywhere,_

_You think me rude but I would just stand and…_

_Stare._

_Owl City: Fireflies_

3rd Person

The SIR units were still playing tag in the sky. It was amusing to watch them tumble around, trying to keep away from whoever was it.

Mini Moose had joined them when he woke up. He was easily the best at flying, since he did it all the time. But he wasn't the fastest, so he was even with the rest of them.

"Can't catch me!" Iris squealed happily.

"Uh huh!" Stubs said, rushing at her.

Iris dodged out of the way just in time which sent Stubs crashing into Gir.

"Now I'm it!" Gir shrieked.

"No tag backs!" Stubs cried, rushing away from the cyan eyed SIR.

"Says who?" Lila demanded, laughing.

"Says me!" Stubs said. He ran into Lis while trying to escape from Gir. Had Lis been able to make sounds, she would have been laughing along with the rest of the robots. As it was, her eyes and mouth portrayed her happiness pretty well.

"Why does no one try to tag me?" Mimi asked, feeling a little dejected.

That got Gir's attention.

"MIMI!" he yelled as loudly as robotly possible. He charged at the more advanced SIR unit. Mimi chuckled as she flew away from her friend, easily outdistancing him.

Down on the ground, Kiku and Ina had indeed gone up to Jek to question him. Kiu watched from a short distance away, a smirk still present on his face.

"Um, excuse me?" Ina squeaked as they reached where Jek was sitting on the boulder.

Jek looked up, a little surprised. He had been so deep in thought he hadn't heard the two girls walk up.

"Yes?" he asked.

Ina took a deep breath. "Um… We've, uh, been wondering about someone who you guys mentioned last night… and everybody said that you were the best person to ask about her."

Jek immediately knew who they wanted to ask about. "You want to know more about Kota, don't you?" he asked quietly.

Kiku and Ina nodded, feeling a little better now that they were actually talking to Jek.

The blue eyed Irken sighed, knowing he should have expected this. Of course everyone would be curious.

The two female aliens looked up at him hopefully.

Jek smiled sadly. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind a few questions…"

Ina and Kiku beamed at him happily. Before long, they were deep in conversation.

~!#$%^&*

The rebels were bombarded with questions throughout the day, and vice versa. A few hours before the sun began to set, a villager mentioned something that caught Dib's attention.

"You know, tonight is Light Night."

"What's that?" Dib asked, intrigued.

"A very special night that happens only once a year. Thousands of little lights come out of the forest and shine all night. They stay until the end of the hot season, and leave at the beginning of the growing season."

Dib thought about this. The image that was put into his mind was a familiar one. One that reminded him of home.

Yet, he couldn't quite place it.

Maybe he would find out tonight.

~!#$%^&

Night had descended upon the meadow once more. All of the villagers had gathered in the meadow, eagerly awaiting the lights from the forest.

The rebels were nearly as excited as the villagers. They were curious about this planet, one of the few that had managed to escape the Irken Empire's iron grip.

"Look! I sees one!" Gir shouted excitedly.

Sure enough, a little light had appeared at the edge of the forest. The crowd began to murmur excitedly as more and more appeared.

That's when Dib realized why the description had reminded him of Earth. They looked like fireflies!

Several kids broke away and headed toward the swarm of creatures. Their arms were outstretched, trying to catch one of the elusive little lights.

The SIR units decided to try this and ran after the Zuphle children, copying their movements.

Dib grinned, childlike wonder filling him. Yeah, he wasn't an adult yet, but he'd been through some terrible things; things that had chased away most of his childhood innocence. Seeing the firefly like creatures returned some of that to him.

Gaz looked at her older brother, waiting to see if he was actually going to go and chase the lights. She had a feeling he would.

"Dib-thing," Zim said, turning to his old nemesis. "Didn't they have similar creatures on Earth?"

Dib nodded excitedly. "Yeah, fireflies!" He finally wasn't able to control himself any longer. He took off after the kids, laughing as he chased the bugs.

Gaz rolled her eyes. Then again, it was kinda nice seeing something familiar. This entire planet reminded her of Earth. It was probably the closest you could get to the actual thing.

"I got one!" Iris said, running over to Jek. She showed him what looked like a tiny little lizard with wings and a glowing tail. It flicked its tongue out happily.

Jek smiled at the tiny creature. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gaz looking at it. She was trying very hard to disguise her curiosity, but Jek could see through the façade. He bent down to whisper to Iris.

"You know, I think Gaz would like to see the little light."

Iris grinned. "Okay!" The lilac eyed SIR walked over to Gaz and held the lightning lizard out for her to see.

Gaz's eyes opened slightly. "He is kinda cute," she admitted.

"You can hold him, if you want!" Iris said, holding the lizard out. "I can catch another one!"

Gaz hesitated. She had a reputation, after all. But c'mon, who was there to impress here? She took the lizard from Iris and took a closer look at it.

The lightning lizard had little spots all over it and seemed to be dark green in color. The wings were scaly and the same green as the rest of its body. The tip of the tail lit up in a bright yellow light. Its eyes were wide set on the top of its head and it gazed at Gaz curiously.

Gaz smirked. It was a funny little thing. Who'd a thought that they'd find flying, glowing lizards?

The lizard crawled over her hands for a few minutes before taking to the sky again. Gaz watched it go,a small smile on her face. But the smile was quickly replaced by her usual cool look once she realized what she was doing.

"Hey, Gaz!" Dib said, running over. He was glowing everywhere. "I think they like me!"

Gaz snickered as she saw her brother come over, completely covered in glowing lizards. Several were licking him.

"How do I look?" Dib joked, posing.

Gaz rolled her eyes. "Terrible," she said.

Dib stuck his tongue out at her. He then gently picked up one of the lizards and looked at it. "These guys are pretty cute," he said, holding the lizard close to his face. It licked his nose.

"How disgustingly adorable," Gaz scoffed. She'd had her fill of cuteness for that night. Perhaps even for the whole week.

"Masta! I caught one of da lizards!" Gir cried, rushing over to Zim. He held out the lighting lizard and deposited it in Zim's hand.

"So you did," Zim said, inspecting it. Tak leaned over to see as well.

"He's cute!" Gir declared, running off, presumably to catch another one.

"How does this thing fly?" Zim wondered. "It's body is surely too heavy for its wings!"

"Let me see," Tak said, reaching out to take the lizard.

Zim handed it to her.

"Well, it's pretty light," she commented. "Its bones must be hollow or something."

Kiu walked over. "Are you two, studying the thing?" he asked, snatching the lizard away from Tak.

"Hey!" Tak exclaimed, a little irritated at Kiu's lack of manners.

"You should be having fun with these little guys!" To demonstrate, Kiu put the lizard on his head and began walking around, showing off his new, "hat."

Mir shook her head at Kiu's antics. He could be so childish sometimes!

Kiu noticed Mir's apparent disapproval.

"Aww, what's the matter, chicky? Don't like my hat?"

Mir rolled her eyes. "It is not a hat, it is a little creature. You should be ashamed of yourself for acting so childish!"

Kiu grinned in a flirtatious manner. "The ladies seem to like it!" With that final comment, he walked off.

Mir just stood there, completely dumbfounded. Dink walked over, snickering.

"Kiu sure is something," he said between giggles.

"Why I NEVER!" Mir said, stomping off in the opposite direction.

Dink shook his head in amusement. Chimera came over, wondering what had just happened.

She looked back and forth between Mir and Kiu. One sauntering around the meadow and the other standing still, arms over her chest in anger and embarrassment.

"Mark my words," Dink said, still laughing. "Those two will end up together, whether they like it or not."

~!#$%^&

After several hours of lightning lizard chasing, everyone began to get tired. One by one, the villagers headed back to their huts and went to sleep.

The rebels did the same, only they went over to their reserved spot by the fire.

Mir made sure to stay as far away from Kiu as possible, still grumbling about his childish behavior.

One by one, they fell asleep, Dib being the last to do so. He laid on his back, looking up at the sky contently. He felt like this planet wasn't actually so bad. It was pretty similar to Earth. Maybe, if they won their upcoming battle, they could stay here. Surely, if they all worked together, they could defend Mooshi?

He smiled at the thought of having a home here, among the lightning lizards and the wildflowers.

_I hear the wind, call your name._

_It calls me back home again._

_It sparks up a fire, a flame that still burns…_

_Oh it's to you, I will always return._

_Bryan Adams: I Will Always Return_

~!#$%^&

A/N: This is probably one of my favorite chapters thus far… I mean, it's so cute, even if the characters were a little OOC. *cough cough* Gaz *cough cough*

Aww, Kiu and Mir like each other. Well, at least that's what it looks like! *cue reader confusion*

Yes, that last song is from the Spirit soundtrack. It's a very nice soundtrack…

Things get more awesome next chapter. Not fighting awesome, but action awesome. Action, as in, fun action. Not, OMG I HAVE TO DO THIS RIGHT OR I'LL DIE kind of action. :3


	14. Hunting

A/N: I have begun writing the first chapter for A New Universe! I want it to be absolutely perfect when the time comes to post it. :3 Speaking of the last story…

I need name ideas for some background characters. Everyone, submit at least one name with your next review and it'll become a name for a character! (See, I told you I had another idea up my sleeve. :P)

~!#$%^&*(

_Lose yourself in the music,_

_The Moment,_

_You own it,_

_You'd better never let it go._

_You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow,  
>This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo.<em>

_Eminem: Lose Yourself_

(Why yes, I did just quote an Eminem song.)

3rd Person

Everyone was tired the next morning, but that didn't keep Ina from asking the rebels with help for something.

"You want us to what?" Kiu asked in disbelief.

"I want you guys to help me hunt," Ina said, calmly. She had only asked the other Irkens for help with this task. Otherwise, the hunting party would be too big.

"I'd love to, but unfortunately, my leg isn't ready for anything like that yet." Tak's leg was still sore from being shot.

"What exactly would we be hunting?" Zim asked.

"Trigons and Shadcats," Ina said.

The other Irkens gave her blank looks.

"I suppose I'd better explain what those are," Ina said with an apologetic look. "Shadcats are felines with large mouths and reptilian eyes. They have small, fur-less ears and four large, fur-less feet. They have long tails with a spiked sphere at the end. Their fur is black and they have faint grey stripes. Shadcats are predatory creatures and blend in with the environment extremely well. In fact, the only thing that gives them away is the four gem like structures they have on their backs."

Kiu tried to raise his hand to ask a question but Ina pushed forward, going into an in depth description of Trigons.

"Trigons are pink equines with wings that are used only for gliding. They have two curly horns atop their heads and a smaller, single horn on their muzzle. Their eyes are generally big and bugging out, and their intelligence is close to none. The only thing they know how to do is survive. Any questions?"

Everyone's hands shot up.

Ina rolled her eyes and called on Mir. "Mir?"

"How does one hunt these things?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Ina grinned and held up a spear. "With these!"

This earned her several looks of disbelief and a snort from Kiu.

"You don't believe me?" Ina said with a smirk.

Most of them shook their heads.

"Well, then come with me and see for yourselves."

Kiu and Zim gave Ina suspicious looks.

"And if you're coming, be sure to grab a spear," Ina said.

Ina began to head toward the forest, not bothering to look behind her to see if the others were following. She knew at least some of them would.

One by one, all of the rebels picked up a spear and followed their new friend out of the meadow and into the trees.

~!#$%^&*

"So… how long are we supposed to wait here?" Kiu asked about an hour later. They were hiding in the trees, spears at the ready. All they needed was prey.

"As long as we have to, and it'll take even longer if you won't shut up!" Ina hissed.

Kiu rolled his eyes but stopped talking.

Ina was good at waiting, but the others weren't nearly as good. She was beginning to question herself on bringing them on this hunt. But she wasn't able to think for very long when she saw a flash of movement.

She held up a finger to signal everyone not to move.

The pink eyed Irken slid along her branch to get a better look at the creature she was sure she had seen.

It was a shadcat, she could tell from the glittering in the shadows.

Ina felt her muscles tense and her arm pull back. Hunting was more of an instinct than a task for her now. She barely even felt the other's eyes on her as she prepared to attack.

She took one last deep breath and pounced, flinging the spear with deadly accuracy.

A bloodcurdling screech filled the air. The other Irkens tensed as they watched the battle unfold below them.

The shadcat was fatally wounded, but not yet dead. It still had some fight left in it. Ina was crouched on the ground, looking incredibly ferocious.

"Someone throw me another spear!" she called.

Jek tossed his spear down just as the shadcat attacked.

Ina snatched the spear from the air with practiced skill and lunged at her prey.

The shadcat slashed at the Irken with its long claws, desperately trying to defend itself. Ina dodged around, hitting the fearsome creature with the spear again.

With one last shrill cry, the shadcat fell to the ground and laid there, unmoving.

Ina looked up into the trees, panting. She motioned for her friends to come down. The rebels dropped clumsily from the trees, shocked looks on their faces. They certainly hadn't expected Ina to be so… fierce.

"That was…" Mir began.

"INCREDIBLE!" Dink finished.

Ina smiled a little smugly. "Thanks. I told you it was possible. Now help me carry this back to the village."

The rebels gathered around the massive body of the shadcat and helped Ina carry her kill back to the village.

"So, is this the only reason you brought us?" Kiu asked. "So you could show off and we could help you carry it back?"

"Well, yes, to the second part at least," Ina said. "It would be impossible for me to carry this all by myself. But it was also to teach you about how we hunt."

"But why?" Dink asked, struggling a little bit under the load.

"None of you knows just how long you'll be here, right?" Ina asked. "What's to say that you won't wind up staying here for a long time? If that becomes the case, you'll need to know how to hunt properly."

Everyone was silent. That made sense to them.

~!#$%^&*

A/N: I may or may not have been thinking of a certain movie when I made this. A virtual cookie to whoever can guess what movie I was thinking of!


	15. Awkward!

A/N: Well, I'm headed back to school on Tuesday, and as of now, my brain is completely fried. Expect from here on out that updates will usually be on the weekends until further notice. Sorry guys, but school comes first!

~!#$%^&

'_Cause she's bitter sweet,_

_She knocks me off of my feet,_

_And I can't understand why I don't want anyone else._

_She's a mystery,_

_She's too much for me,_

_But I keep coming back for more,_

_She's just the girl I'm looking for._

_The Click Five: Just the Girl_

3rd Person

Three days had passed since the rebels first arrived at the Zuphle village. That left just four more days until they brought the battle to the empire. But nobody was really stressing out about it. They felt confident.

Mir and Tak were laying in the meadow, watching the clouds. The SIR units were playing again, Gaz and Dib were talking about Earth. It was a quiet afternoon, and a beautiful one at that.

More than one of the rebels were considering staying here if they won the upcoming battle.

"Whee!" cried Lila as she soared through the sky.

"It's like being a birdie!" Gir said, wheeling through the clouds.

"This is much better than fighting!" Stubs said happily.

"Nuh uh!" Iris said, coming to a halt next to Stubs.

"Yeah huh!" Stubs said, facing Iris. "Fighting is scary."

"So?" Iris said, crossing her tiny arms over her chest. "When you fight, you fight for a reason. A good reason."

"Then why is the Empire trying to take over the universe?" Lila said, gliding over. "That's not a good reason."

"It's a good reason to them," Mimi said, joining the conversation.

"But it isn't to us!" Lila said, becoming confused.

"That's why we're fighting," Mimi said, calmly. "Because we're fighting for two different reasons."

"I understand," Gir said, actually understanding for once. "We both think that we're fightin' for the right thing!"

"Exactly," Mimi said, nodding in approval to her chaotic friend. "So, Iris, why do you want to fight?"

"Because they killed my mistress," Iris said quietly.

Even Gir knew that this was a very sad reason to fight.

"A noble cause," Mimi murmured. "I would want to do the same."

Lila drifted closer to Iris and gave her friend a hug.

"But, you've got Jek now!" Stubs said helpfully. "He likes you!"

Iris smiled a little. "Yeah, he's nice."

The remaining SIR units crowded in to hug Iris, Lis included.

Down below, Tak and Mir were watching the little robots curiously.

"I wonder what they're up to," Tak said.

Mir nodded, losing herself in thought. It seemed like ages ago that Iris and Lila had been rampaging through Irk, blowing things up; Kota and herself following them the entire time. What she would give to have that time back. Mir was pretty sure that she wasn't the only one growing a little nostalgic on this planet.

Mir cast a glance Jek's way, wondering what was going through his mind. The blue eyed Irken had been spending a lot of time watching the sky, probably wishing he were out flying.

"Eh hem."

Mir and Tak looked up to see Kiu standing right behind their heads. Mir instantly remembered the incident from the other night and flushed dark green.

"Yes?" Tak asked, missing Mir's reaction completely.

Kiu smirked, as was his usual response to things. "Just wondering what you two ladies were up to."

"Well, if you MUST know, we are cloud watching," Tak said, turning her eyes back to the clouds. "You are welcome to join us, if you wish."

Mir was yelling at Tak and Kiu in her mind but said nothing. Kiu would not get the satisfaction of seeing her react to him.

"Cloud watching, eh?" Kiu said, mulling over the idea. He shrugged. "I got nothing better to do, since Jek is pretty much in his own little world." Kiu promptly laid down in the grass next to Mir.

Before she even knew what she was doing, Mir got up and moved to the other side of Tak. It took Kiu a few seconds to register what had just happened, but when it finally clicked, he burst out laughing.

"You're not seriously still mad at me for what I said the other night, are you?" Kiu was laughing so hard that Mir was barely able to make out his words. Tak was looking at the both of them, thoroughly confused.

Mir glared at the purple eyed pilot, sat up, and walked off. Kiu laughed even harder now, drawing the attention of several others.

Dink was one of those others.

Dink watched as Mir stalked away and instantly knew that something else had happened between the two. Needless to say, Dink was very, very curious. He walked over to where Kiu was.

"What happened?" Dink asked.

Kiu didn't answer, he was laughing too hard. So Tak answered for him.

"Mir and I were watching the clouds when Kiu came over and asked to join us. He laid down next to Mir, and then she came and laid down next to me. That's when Kiu started laughing like a maniac and Mir left. Do you have any idea what is going on?"

Dink started laughing as well, but not nearly as hard as Kiu. Tal rolled her eyes as she waited for a response.

When Dink finally calmed down, he explained what had happened the other night, how Kiu had practically been flirting with Mir and she had been quite embarrassed. As a result, she was now doing her best to avoid Kiu. Of course, Kiu was highly entertained.

Finally, Kiu gathered his breath and wiped some tears from his eyes. He sat up still grinning.

"I think I've just found something to occupy my time here!" he said, eyes shining. "This is going to be the most fun I've had in years!" Kiu stood. "Well, I'll see ya guys later, I've got teasing to do!" With that, Kiu ran off after Mir, who had nearly disappeared into the village by now.

Tak shook her head. "Kiu sure is an interesting person."

Dink was grinning. "Mark my words, Tak. Those two are going to end up together."

"You may very well be right," Tak said, a slight smile appearing. "Why, look at Zim and I. I tried to kill him not two years ago! Strange things happen when your entire world is turned upside down."

"You can say that again," Dink said.

Jek walked over then, staring after Kiu. "What just happened?" he asked.

Dink started snickering again as Tak explained the situation. Jek grinned and shook his head.

"Typical Kiu. It's good to know that he hasn't changed much."

The three Irkens watched as Kiu caught up to Mir and grabbed her arm. She spun around in shock. Kiu said something then, but they were much too far away to hear. But whatever he said, Mir didn't like it. She responded with a quick slap to his face and continued walking away from him.

"Ah, young love!" Dink said, chuckling.

~!#$%^

A/N: Oh, I am liking this pairing very much. They have two very different personalities, which will make their road to romance a hilarious one indeed. Kiu's such a charmer, is he not? ;)


	16. Shadcats

A/N: I'm taking a writing class this year, and we have this project that we're working on that I may post on here ;) It would be about Kiku. (For those of you who don't remember her, she's one of Ina's Zuphle friends.) Now, onto the story!

~!#$%^

_Tell me would you kill to save a life?_

_Tell me would you kill to prove you're right?_

_Crash, crash, burn,_

_Let it all burn._

_This hurricane's chasing us all underground._

_30 Seconds to Mars: Hurricane_

3rd Person

Jrek paced around a small clearing in the forest, deep in concentration. He couldn't show his face back at the base, not until he had disposed of the rebels. If he did, the Tallest would surely kill him!

Storm sat on the ground a little ways away, waiting for his master to come to a conclusion.

Finally, Jrek stopped and sighed. He turned to his robot companion.

"What do you think I should do, Storm?" the Irken invader asked, sounding defeated.

"Whatever you think is right, master."

Jrek grimaced. "I don't know what is right anymore. The Tallest are not the leaders I once thought they were. They are cruel, and show very little mercy. Then again, I suppose I wasn't much different, was I?"

Storm said nothing.

"Well, whatever I choose to do, I will have to locate the rebels no matter what. So I suppose we had better get moving. Come along, Storm."

Storm leapt up and fell into step beside his master. The two walked in silence into the woods, searching for any sign of the rebels.

~!#$%^&

"Where do you suppose Jrek has gotten to?" Tallest Purple asked.

"I don't know," Red said angrily. "But I'm sure he got into some trouble."

"Should we try to contact him?"

"No, but if he shows up again without proof that he has destroyed the rebels…" Tallest Red made the universal death sign.

"Goody goody!" Purple said excitedly. "We haven't killed anyone for several days!"

"Sirs! Incoming transmission from planet Earth!"

"Put it through," Red said, turning towards the communicator screen.

An Irken soldier appeared on screen. Lasers and smoke could be seen in the background.

"Sirs! The earthlings are putting up an even stronger resistance than they had been! I'm afraid that we're beginning to lose ground!"

"WHAT?" Red cried angrily. "We are Irkens! Those puny earthlings can't be us! Do whatever you have to do to beat them back!"

"We're trying sir!" the soldier replied fearfully. "But every being we stumble upon tries to kill us! Which means that we are greatly outnumbered!"

Tallest Red banged his head on the wall in anger while Purple watched.

After a few minutes, Red composed himself again. "Soldier, we'll be sending reinforcements immediately. You are to do EVERYTHING within your power to gain control of Earth. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly," the soldier replied, saluting.

Purple made a gesture and the transmission was cut.

Red sighed and sat down in a chair. "Some beings just don't know when to give up."

~!#$%^&*

"SHADCAT ATTACK!"

Ina bolted upright as the cry reached her antennae. She launched herself out of bed, grabbed her spear and rushed out the door. Lis was right behind her.

At least five shadcats were attacking the village, destroying everything in sight. The mothers and children were running out into the meadow, doing their best to avoid being killed. Everyone else was fighting.

"Kiu, look out!"

Kiu spun around just in time, just barely managing to avoid the shadcat that had leapt at him. Kiu lunged at the beast with a spear, sending the shadcat scooting back to avoid being killed.

Ina rushed forward, coming up on the shadcat from behind. Kiu saw her and did his best to keep the beast's attention.

Elsewhere, Appala and Kiku were working together as well. They had cornered a shadcat and were taking turns prodding it with their spears. Finally, Kiku managed to stab its heart, killing it almost instantly.

"One down, four to go!" Appala gasped out.

"Make that three!" Kiu called as Ina killed the one he had been fighting.

"KITTY CAT!"

Gir and the other SIR units were chasing a terrified shadcat around the village. Mimi, Lis and Iris were firing at it while the other three chased it. Finally is ran into the forest, wailing in terror the whole way.

"Wait! Come back!" Gir cried out sadly.

"Two left!" Kiku said.

"Help!"

Out in the meadow, one of the remaining shadcats was chasing after the children. Jek was nearest and took off, gun in hand.

"We have to help!" Tak cried. "Come on!"

Zim, Chimera, Luca and Mir followed Jek. Kiu, Dink and Ina stayed to help the warriors with the other shadcat.

"Hey! Over here, you over-sized cat!" Jek threw a rock with amazing accuracy and hit the shadcat right on the head. It turned, snarling angrily.

Jek leveled his laser gun at the shadcat and fired. The shadcat dodged and came running.

Zim pulled out his own gun and fired. It was a direct hit as the shadcat had not been expecting it. The creature fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Thanks," Jek said, putting his gun away.

"Don't mention it," Zim said. "Now, let us go back and help take care of that last cat thing."

But the last shadcat was already taken care of by the time they had run back into the village. Warriors were surrounding the place, listening carefully to ensure that no more came.

"I think that no more will come tonight," Rinki said. "Everyone go back to sleep."

One by one the villagers went back into their huts. Many of them were damaged, and there was no doubt that repairs would have to be done in the morning.

Ina was just about to go back into her hut when Tak asked her a question.

"Ina, why did the shadcats attack like that? I didn't think they were intelligent enough to plan something like that."

Ina grimaced. "Well, you see, the shadcats and zuphles have been enemies since the beginning of time. True, the zuphles are more intelligent, but the shadcats are not like most of the animals on Mooshi. They are smart enough that they can plan and fight well. They don't attack often, as their numbers have been dwindling, but they are not unheard of."

"Well, they chose the wrong time to attack, that's for sure!" Kiu said. "Fighting them off was way too easy."

"Yes, it's a good thing you were here," Ina agreed. "It would have taken much longer if you all weren't here to help. Well, goodnight." Ina went back into her hut and fell asleep as soon as she hit her bed.

"I suppose we'd better get some rest as well," Chimera said.

"Yeah, I'm sure tomorrow will be a busy day," Dink said.

"Goodnight everyone, _again_," Kiu said as he laid down.

~!#$%^&

A/N: Well that was a completely pointless chapter. Can someone say filler? Anyway, people have been asking about A New Universe, and I decided to clear the situation up. A New Universe takes place AFTER this story, so it won't start until this one is finished! Be patient people! It will start in due time.


	17. He's Back

A/N: SWDFCGHUJMNJFGHJK MY CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER SAID SHE LOVED A STORY THAT I WROTE FTGHJKLSIFVJDSLKIFHDSDLDOIVBG OMG I'M SO HAPPY!

The cake is a lie.

~!#$%^&*

_I tried to be someone else,  
>But nothing seemed to change.<br>I know now, this is who I really am inside.  
>Finally found myself,<br>Fighting for a chance.  
>I know now, this is who I really am.<em>

_30 Seconds to Mars: The Kill_

3rd Person

Jrek finally found the edge of the forest. He was temporarily blinded after being in the light deprived woods for so long; but after his eyes adjusted, what he saw amazed him.

He had found the meadow in which the Zuphles lived.

Jrek looked around for a few moments. Because of his ocular implants, he was able to see most everything in the village clearly. His eyes widened as he realized that several of the creatures moving around in the meadow were none other than the rebels.

Now, it was time for his decision. He weighed both options, listed the pros and cons of each in his head, but it still took him a very long time to decide.

Finally, Jrek began to make his way down the mountain, his decision weighing heavily on his mind.

~~!#$%

"Intruder!"

Zim's antennae perked up and his eyes narrowed. Everyone was gathering near the base of one of the mountains, the same one that led to the forest. Zim was just able to make out an Irken climbing down the slopes. A SIR unit was right behind it.

Zim's eyes widened in sudden realization.

_Jrek!_

Zim raced toward the ever growing crowd surrounding the base of the mountain. He wasn't about to let his brother escape!

As Jrek reached the ground, he found himself surrounded by Zuphle warriors. He stood up straight, determined not to show any fear. Storm landed on the ground beside him, weapons out.

"Storm! Stand down," Jrek ordered.

Storm withdrew his weapons but continued to look at the warriors suspiciously.

"Jrek!" Zim shouted. He pushed his way through the circle of warriors and confronted his brother.

"Hello again, Zim," Jrek said, remaining calm.

Zim pulled his arm back and slugged Jrek in the face. Storm moved to tackle Zim but Jrek called him off once again.

Jrek stood up and brushed himself off. Zim stood there, seething.

Jek stood in the crowd, completely frozen.

"What are you doing here?" Zim demanded. "Where are the rest of your troops? Waiting to attack?"

Jrek shook his head. "I haven't come to attack you, I've come to ask to join you."

Zim slugged Jrek a second time.

"How dare you ask that! Besides, I can see through your lies, Jrek. LIES!"

Jrek stood once again, eyes narrowed. "I'm not lying. I'll do whatever it takes to convince you of that."

"There is NOTHING you can do to convince me that you've switched sides," Zim spat.

"Well, Zim," Ina began. "What do you propose we do with him then?"

Rinki stepped forward, looking at Jrek suspiciously. "Change is possible in all things," the tribe leader said wisely. He began to address Jrek directly. "You will stay here, but you will be supervised at all times. We'll see whether or not we can trust you. Is that understood?"

Jrek saluted, although a little hesitant. "Yes, sir."

"WHAT?" Zim cried angrily. "He can't be trusted! He'll kill us all!"

Rinki spun to face Zim. "What I say goes, little Irken. I don't care if you agree with me."

Zim backed off but didn't look any happier. "Fine."

Meanwhile, in the crowd, Jek stood, absolutely shocked. Kiu noticed. "Jek? You ok?"

Jek didn't answer. Instead, he spun and raced away as quickly as his legs could carry him.

"Jek, wait!" Kiu called, trying to follow his friend. But he was stopped as a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to see Mir, who was watching Jek retreat further and further away.

"Leave him," she said tersely. "He just needs some time alone, that's all."

Kiu looked back, hesitant. He wanted to make sure Jek was ok.

"Kiu, you can help him by keeping an eye on Jrek," Mir said, grabbing Kiu's attention again.

Kiu grimaced. "I guess you're right. Hey, Mir…"

But Mir had already disappeared into the crowd again. Kiu snorted, slightly amused. "Does she really hate me that much?"

~!#$%^

Jek just kept running, no matter how tired he got. He had to get away, he couldn't stay near the very being who had killed Kota.

As he ran, memories raced through his brain and tears flew from his eyes.

Being in the Zuphle village had been a nice break. He had even been happy again. But now he would never be happy here. Not as long as Jrek was around.

Finally, when the village was just a pin-prick on the horizon, Jek stopped. He fell to the ground, chest heaving.

The sun was beginning to set, which meant there were only about two more days until the attack.

Jek curled in the tall grass and shut his eyes, trying to chase away the pain. He knew he was in for a sleepless night.

~!#$%^&

Night had fallen, and there was still no sign of Jek. Kiu was getting worried.

"Kiu, standing there pacing isn't going to bring Jek back any faster," Tak said, walking up from behind him.

Kiu stopped and sighed. "I wouldn't be so worried if we hadn't been attacked last night," Kiu mumbled.

"Well then why don't you go and look for him?"

"Are you kidding?" Kiu asked. "I'd never be able to find him in the dark."

"Calm down, it was only a suggestion," Tak said, holding her hands up.

"I'm sorry," Kiu apologized. "It's just… He's the only real friend I have left. Huji's gone, Kota's gone… No offence, but I just don't know the rest of you that well."

"No offence taken," Tak said. "But, don't you have Mir as well?"

Kiu laughed without amusement. "Mir? She hates me."

"Well, you could always try being a little nicer to her," Tak said. "Females tend to hate males who have treated them with disrespect."

Kiu wasn't convinced. "I was only teasing her!"

"You should know Mir's personality by now," Tak said, shaking her head sadly. "I think you're much more likely to get her to like you if you act like a gentleman."

"You think so?" Kiu asked.

"If you like her as much as I believe you do, then why not give it a shot?"

"I… I think I will!" Kiu said, perking up again. He ran into the meadow a little ways, picked some flowers, and raced back. "I'm going to find Mir right now!"

Tak laughed as she watched Kiu take off, searching for Mir.

"What are you laughing at, my dear?" Zim asked, walking up from behind.

"Kiu," Tak said simply. Zim moved up and wrapped his hands around her waist. He leaned forward and gave Tak a quick peck on the cheek.

"Oh, look, I think he found her," Tak said.

Zim strained his eyes to see in the dark. He identified two silhouettes as Mir and Kiu. The shape he assumed was Kiu handed Mir the bunch of wildflowers. Mir took them a little hesitantly. They exchanged a few words and Mir departed. Kiu came running back, a grin spreading across his face.

"Well, what did she say?" Tak asked, gently separating herself from Zim.

"For one, she didn't hit me!" Kiu exclaimed, sounding enthralled. "And then she thanked me! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to bed so I can talk to her tomorrow!"

Kiu ran off toward their designated sleeping spot and laid down, anxious to see Mir again tomorrow.

~!#$%^

A/N: I HAD to have something to lighten the mood after Jek ran off. I have a fictionpress account now as well, you can find me under the same pen name :3 I'll start posting random things here and there.


	18. Back to Fighting

A/N: Well, I guess this story is winding up… Wow, my lovely little OCs have come a long way! Kota's Story will still be going for awhile after this one finishes, and A New Universe will start shortly after the final chapter.

~!#$%^

_What kind of world do we live in?  
>Where love is divided by hate?<em>

_Losing control of our feelings…_

_We all must be dreaming this life away,_

_In a world so cold._

_12 Stones: World so Cold_

3rd Person

"Red, I'm tired of waiting for Jrek to return. I think it's time we took matters into our own hands."

"I agree, Purple. Rally the troops, we're moving out and we're not stopping until we find them."

~!#$

Jek opened his eyes to a very blurry world. He blinked several times, each blink bringing in a slightly clearer picture. Finally he sat up, wondering briefly where he was. Slowly all of the events of the previous day came back to him, and the familiar dull pain came creeping back into his gut. Jek grimaced and slowly stood up. He figured that everyone would be worried by now, so he might as well head back.

As Jek began to make his way back to the village, he heard snapping branches from the forest perched on the mountain above. He stopped, listening intently. It could very well just be some animal, but being hunted for the past several weeks had caused paranoia in all of them.

Jek was just about to continue when he heard more snapping branches, this time accompanied by cursing and a shushing sound. His eyes widened. Someone was out there, and they didn't want to be heard.

~!#$%

Kiu paced back in forth in the meadow, just outside of the village, contemplating several things. For one, Jek hadn't returned yet, and he was seriously beginning to worry. Secondly, it seemed Mir didn't entirely hate him which opened up an entire new world of possibilities for their relationship. He was beginning to consider his next move when shouting broke through his thoughts.

"Someone's coming! Ready your weapons!"

Kiu saw, to his relief, Jek running toward the village. Unfortunately, he was also the one shouting the warnings.

The villagers and the rest of the rebels dropped what they were doing and gave their full attention to Jek.

"Be ready!" Jek called, running full speed toward the village.

Zim narrowed his eyes as something occurred to him. He began to shove past terrified villagers and soldiers readying for battle. Finally, he found Jrek and his escorts, unsure what to do. Zim strode forward, spitting accusations at his brother as he gripped the front of his uniform angrily.

"You lead them to us! I knew we shouldn't have trusted you!" Zim hissed.

"I did no such thing!" Jrek said angrily, shoving Zim away. "I told you before, I don't want anything to do with the empire anymore!"

"You're lying!" Zim shrieked. He lunged and took his brother down, fists flying. "You arrogant, evil, pompous son of a…"

"Attack!"

Soldiers and rebels surged around Zim and Jrek's fight, but ignored it completely. They were entirely focused on the army marching toward them.

"Zim, leave him!" Tak called. "He's not important right now!"

Zim hesitated, arm ready to deal another blow. Jrek glared at him, showing no fear whatsoever. Finally, Zim got up, kicked his brother once more for good measure, and disappeared into the bigger battle. Jrek sat up, spitting blood onto the ground. He glared at the spot where his brother had disappeared. It made sense that no one believed him, after all, what reason had he ever given that he had truly changed?

But now he had his chance. "Storm, come to your master!"

Storm was at his side in moments, giving a quick salute. "Yes, master?"

"It is time to prove where our allegiance lies. You are to help me attack the empire, is that understood?"

"Yes, my master!" Storm replied before zipping off to join the fight. Jrek watched, eyes narrowed. If they won this fight, the rebels would have no choice but to believe him. He'd do his best to help, to make up for the things he had done in the past, to show just how much he had come to hate the Tallest and all that they stood for.

So, summoning every last ounce of courage, Jrek picked an opponent and charged into battle.

~!#

A/N: Yeah, this was a short chapter, but the next one will be much longer, as it's the big battle you've all been waiting for! I hope to get it up sometime this week, since I've kind of fallen into a schedule that has allowed me to be more time efficient.


	19. Kaboom

A/N: First off, I'm so sorry for the late updates. I've had so much going on, it's unbelievable. Secondly, I'm running out of inspiration due to stress. I promise to get these chapters to you guys as quickly as I possibly can, but I can no longer promise an exact day. As soon as softball is over, I'll have more time to write.

I dedicate this chapter in remembrance of 9/11. We will never forget all the people who died that day.

~!#$%

_This is how we'll dance when,  
>When they try to take us down.<br>This is how we'll sing it.  
>This is how we'll stand when,<br>When they burn our houses down.  
>This is what will be oh glory.<em>

_Paramore: Let the Flames Begin_

3rd Person

Flashbacks were racing through several minds as the battle began. Thoughts returned to the last time they had a full out war going on. The death, the losses, the fear. But now, the rebels had a major advantage. They had warriors who had lived their entire lives on the battlefield, and were prepared to die defending their home.

There was no way they'd lose.

~!#$

"Soldier! Report in!"

"You won't believe it, sir! There are hundreds of creatures here, and it appears they've sided with the rebels! We're desperately outnumbered!"

Tallest Red could be heard cursing on the other side of the communicator before he responded.

"Fight as best as you can. Retreat only when necessary. Understood?"

"Yes, my Tallest!"

~!#

"Aieeeeeeee!"

The Zuphle warriors leapt unseen from the grass, killed their target and dove back into the grass with deadly accuracy. The Irken soldiers never had any idea what had hit them. Before much longer, the soldiers had retreated back to the base of the mountain, trying desperately to defend each other.

"Yes, YES!" Zim yelled, seeing that they had the upper hand. "Keep fighting! We'll win this fight!"

Jek was probably fighting the hardest of all, showing absolutely no mercy toward the terrified soldiers. The SIR units were attacking with a ferocity all their own and the will to win.

"Retreat!" called the squadron leader.

"Do not let them escape!" Zim cried. "We need to finish this once and for all!"

"I agree, CHARGE!" Chief Rinki shouted.

The rebels and warriors shouted a single, great war cry and followed the retreating Irken army into the forest.

"Warriors, spread out and attack from the trees!" Rinki ordered. "Take out as many as you can before we reach their base!"

The warriors nodded in silence and began scaling the trees like only they could. Rinki joined them as well, leaving only the Resisty and the rebels on the ground, still relentlessly chasing their enemies. Zim looked over at his brother, who was still with them.

"Well, Jrek, I suppose you have proved yourself, and I apologize for not believing you," Zim admitted grudgingly.

Jrek narrowed his eyes. "Apology accepted."

"Of course, I'll still have my eye on you," Zim added. "Do not expect me to show mercy on you if you do turn out to be one of the bad guys."

Jrek didn't answer, but rolled his eyes.

"Attack!"

Zuphle warriors began dropping from the trees, taking out several Irken soldiers and sending the rest scattering in fear.

"Again!" Rinki commanded, taking to the trees once more.

"SIR units! Use your jets and attack more soldiers!" Ina yelled as she too climbed into the trees.

The SIR units saluted and fired up their jets, streaking past their masters to go fight.

"Chimera! Can you get me up there?" Tak asked.

"Sure!" Chimera leaned down far enough to allow Tak to get on her back and surged forward, easily outdistancing the others. Tak drew her laser and leveled it, targeting the soldier nearest them. She fired with deadly accuracy and began aiming at the next soldier.

Kiu, not one to be out done, ran up to Luca and cocked his thumb forward. Luca rolled his eyes but helped Kiu anyway. Soon the two were speeding away, Kiu readying his gun. Soon another war cry sounded, and the Zuphles leapt from the trees once more. The Irken army was beginning to dwindle, there were fewer than a hundred soldiers left.

"We have them this next time!" Zim crowed. They'll never make it to their… base?"

The rebels came to a screeching halt. Standing before them were many, MANY more soldiers, each one looking at them with a cocky grin. All weapons were pointed in their direction.

"End of the line, rebels," one of them said.

Everyone narrowed their eyes. They weren't going down without a fight.

Suddenly, Jek elbowed Kiu sharply. He discreetly pointed out some Voot Cruisers located not too far away. Jek's intentions were clear. If they could get to those ships, they might just have a chance. But before they were able to move, the Tallest appeared from behind the line of soldiers. They looked extremely triumphant.

"Good to see you all again," Red sneered. "Zim, it's been awhile. And is that… No… Jrek? Not you too…" Red shook his head sadly. "I never thought you'd turn traitor as well. Such a shame."

"Yeah!" Purple agreed. "But that sucks for you, because we're gonna blow you all up. Hah!"

"Let's go now, while they're distracted!" Jek hissed. Kiu nodded and began to make his way carefully toward the ships.

The Tallest and the army were completely oblivious.

"So, how shall we kill them?" Red asked, contemplating.

"As gruesomely as possible!" Purple exclaimed.

"Sounds good to me," Red smirked. "Soldiers, ready your weapons!"

Clicking sounds emanated from the wall of soldiers.

"Warriors, prepare to fight!" Rinki called. The warriors readied their spears and tensed.

"What are we waiting for?" Zim hissed angrily. "The longer we wait, the more of us will die. We fight NOW!"

The soldiers were temporarily surprised as they rebels rushed forward suddenly, engulfing the first several lines.

"Fire!" ordered the Tallest.

All hell broke loose. Then, the Voot Cruisers came to life.

"WEEEOHHHH! LET'S DO THIS!" Kiu yelled as he took off. Jek smirked at his friend's enthusiasm, but offered no comment.

"What the…" Red began, staring angrily at the ships. "Who authorized…" But he was cut off as the ships began to fire upon his own soldiers, taking a dozen out with only one shot.

"Get those cruisers!" Purple cried.

Soldiers began aiming for the two solitary cruisers as they flew low over the battle.

"Do NOT let them shoot Jek and Kiu down!" Mir cried. "We need them!"

"Take out any soldier aiming for the ships!" Dib shouted. "Gaz… GAZ?" Dib searched desperately for his sister as the fight continued on. Gaz, meanwhile, was leisurely taking out any Irken who got in her way while slowly making her way into the base itself. She had a plan that would end all this nonsense, and hopefully get them back to Earth in time to get a new Game Slave before the world was taken over. She was just about to enter the base when…

"Halt, human! You are forbidden to enter!"

Gaz rolled her eyes and shoved the tiny Irken out of the way. Nothing and no one would stop her now. Her mind was set.

This place was going to burn.

~!#$%

"They've stopped firing at us, bud," Kiu informed Jek. "That makes our job ten times easier."

"Mhmm," Jek agreed, firing again. "You know, Kiu, I've been thinking…"

"WOAH! DID YOU SEE THAT?"

"See what?"

In the distance, the base had exploded in an inferno, throwing debris every which way. The surrounding soldiers were scattering, trying to escape the flames.

"Who did that?" Jek demanded, even though he knew no one on the ground could hear him.

"I dunno," Kiu murmured. "Do you wanna land and check up on everyone?"

"No, we can't risk it," Jek decided. "We'll find out what happened if we win this."

"Well, it's looking like we have the upper hand again, since their base is finished."

"Yeah, we just might win this one."

~!#$%

Gaz emerged from the ash and smoke without a scratch. Her job had been easy as soon as she had made it into the base. All she had to do is get her hands on some explosives and bring them to the energy generator in the center of the place. She placed them, walked out, and detonated them as soon as she was a safe distance away.

Boom. The base and backbone of the army's hold on Mooshi was gone, just like that. Of course, Gaz wasn't smug about it. All she wanted was to get off the planet.

"Gaz!" Dib cried, running up to his sister and hugging her. Gaz almost slugged him, but held back, if only to make sure he survived the battle.

"I was so worried!" Dib continued, releasing Gaz from the hug. "Did… did YOU blow the base up?"

Gaz shrugged.

"Humans! We can catch up later!" Tak yelled, coming over. "For now, we need to get rid of the rest of the army!"

"That shouldn't be too hard," Zim said. "They're all trying to put out the fire."

"Don't count on it."

The four spun around at the sound of the commanding voice. Tallests Red and Purple stood there, glaring down at the two humans and two Irkens menacingly.

"I think it's time we got rid of Zim, once and for all," Red hissed, inching forward.

"Yeah, him and his little friends," Purple agreed.

The four tensed up, more than ready to fight the Tallest.

"Bring it on!" Zim growled. "You've no idea how badly I've wanted to fight you."

"Well then, let's get started!" Red snarled, leaping forward.

~!#$%^&

A/N: Bwahahaha! Oh… this is going to be good. A fight between Dib, Gaz, Zim, Tak and the Tallest? I spontaneously came up with the idea. Yep, I'm cool. I PROMISE to update my other stories either tomorrow or Tuesday! Oh, and I'm gonna say… only… two or three more chapters in this story. Excited? ;)


	20. Look at Them Run

A/N: I am VERY happy right now. My new laptop came in today and I am back in business. I think I'm gonna write a lot. Oh, this is like, the second to last chapter of this story! *scream* The only thing after this is the epilogue and then… The final story of this series.

~!#$%^

_Forgetting all the hurt inside_

_You've learned to hide so well_

_Pretending someone else can come_

_And save me from myself_

_I can't be who you are_

_Linkin Park: Leave out all the Rest_

3rd Person

The rebel Irkens and the humans launched themselves at the Tallest, carried on by fury and rage. Dib and Gaz had a slight height advantage, but they were still shorter than the Irken leaders. The Almighty Tallest fought back viciously, they showed no mercy. But that was ok, since the other four didn't plan on showing any mercy either.

The fight was pretty well balanced. The Tallest had the advantage of extra height and strength, while the four former enemies had a number advantage. They also had more hand-to-hand combat experience. Needless to say, it was an interesting fight to watch.

Zim and Tak took on Red while Dib and Gaz took on Purple. The opponents swirled in a deadly dance, neither side seeming to hold the upper hand. Red grabbed Zim by the antennae and flung him as far as he could, but Tak was right there to continue the attack until Zim returned. Dib and Gaz took turns drawing Purple's attention and doing the actual attacking. The only problem with this balanced fight was that whoever had the least stamina would lose. This almost ensured that the four would be the losers, considering that Dib and Gaz, no matter how physically able they were, were still weaker than the Irkens. That would leave Zim and Tak to fight alone, in which they'd never stand a chance.

They needed help.

Zim managed to activate his communicator and he contacted Gir. "Gir! Bring Mimi and help defend your masters!" he ordered, dodging a blow from Red.

"Yes, master!" Gir exclaimed. The two robots appeared only moments later, roaring up with their rockets. Gir went to help Zim and Tak while Mimi decided she'd be more useful in helping the humans.

With the SIRs joining in the fight, the rebels had a slight advantage. Their chances of winning the fight increased slightly. Now, if only the others could hold out and chase the remaining army away…

~!#$

"Now that they've lost their base and the Tallest are nowhere to be found, we could easily win this thing!" Kiu shouted excitedly. "Now, let's blow some more stuff up! I'm in a destructive mood."

Jek managed a laugh. Kiu was ALWAYS up for destruction. "Fine by me. Let's target the remaining Voot Cruisers so they can't use them to come and get us."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The two swooped low over the battlefield, helping out every so often by taking out a solider here and there. Meanwhile, down on the ground, the Resisty, the remaining SIRS, the Zuphle warriors and the rest of the rebels fought valiantly. Ina and Mir fought side by side with Lis and Lila giving them help as needed. Irken soldiers had begun to drop like flies since they had no real idea of what they were supposed to be doing. The army was in chaos.

A call rang out through the clamor. "Irken army, RETREAT TO THE SURVIVING SHIPS! We will die if we remain here!"

The rebels whooped in joy, but never ceased their attack. The more soldiers they were able to kill, they better the chance that they wouldn't come back to Mooshi in a hurry.

"Give the savages a lesson they will remember!" Chief Rinki shouted. The Zuphle warriors shrieked a war cry and gave chase. The soldiers ran, freely showing their fear now. They raced for the troop ships as they began to start up. The Tallest noticed the retreat.

"Damn!" Red hissed as he dodged as screeching Gir. "They'll leave without us if we don't go!"

Dib and Gaz landed several more blows on Purple before he was able to answer. "Should we go?"

"Idiot, of course we should!"

"Not so fast, _my Tallest_," Zim sneered. "You're not getting away without a fight."

"That's right," Tak hissed, wiping some blood from a cut on her forehead. The four of them stood in front of the Irken leaders menacingly, Gir and Mimi hovering by their master's sides. The Tallest narrowed their eyes. Everyone was tense in anticipation, but soon a deafening roar filled the air above their heads. The _Massive_ hovered just overhead and Tallest Red grinned evilly.

Zim realized what was about to happen just moments too late.

"Grab them!" he cried, lunging forward. But it was futile, the Tallest were beamed aboard their ship and they were headed back through the atmosphere within moments. Zim landed in a heap where Tallest Red had been standing only moments before. Tak ran over and helped him up. The five of them glared at the armada fading into the distance. Gir just ran around like the maniac he is.

"So, we won," Dib murmured. "We chased them off."

Zim nodded solemnly. "Yes, but they're still out there. They'll be back…"

"Hopefully not anytime soon," Tak muttered.

Jek and Kiu landed nearby and hopped out of the cruisers. "You guys ok?" Kiu asked. "What happened over here?"

"We had a run in with the Tallest," Dib explained.

"Really?" Jek asked. "Did you get rid of them?"

"No," Zim hissed. "They escaped."

"Help! We need help!" Mir ran over, panting. "Ina has been hurt! We must act quickly or she could die!"

Jek had a terrible flashback of the last battle. He turned to the others. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go help her!"

The rebels took off after Mir, worry pushing them their hardest.

~!#$%

A/N: OH NOES, WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Well, it all depends on what kind of mood I'm in tomorrow or whenever I write the epilogue. Pray I'm feeling merciful! ;P


	21. Starting Over

A/N: Well here we are again, it's always such a pleasure. Remember when I decided to write a story? Oh how you read and read, except I wasn't writing…

Blah blah blah, I can't do song parodies. Here's the last chapter! By the time you've finished reading this, I should have the first chapter of A New Universe up, so you can read even more! ^^

~!#$%

_This is a call to arms,_

_Gather soldiers,_

_Time to go to war._

_This is a battle song,_

_Brothers and sisters,_

_Time to go to war._

_30 Seconds to Mars: Vox Populi_

3rd Person

_Inside the Massive…_

"Pilot! Why didn't you attack the rebels?" Tallest Red demanded after they had left Mooshi's atmosphere. "We could have been rid of them!"

"Well, you see sir… There was an incident…"

"What kind of incident?"

"There was this floating purple moose, and… and he threatened to blow us up if we didn't leave!"

"A floating moose?" Red shrieked angrily. "What kind of an excuse is…"

"Sir! I can pull up some security camera footage for you, if you like!" the pilot squeaked.

"Fine," Red said, sitting down. "Show me."

The pilot pulled up a video onto the screens. The first shot showed Minimoose hovering through the halls, lasers firing from his eyes as terrified Irkens scattered in every direction. Red and Purple watched, intrigued. On screen, Minimoose continued to wreak havoc on the ship, disabling all sorts of systems before he reached the bridge. He hovered above the pilots, who were huddling in a corner, shaking. He squeaked several things, and the Irkens nodded repeatedly. Finally, Minimoose left, but not before taking out the weapon systems for good measure.

"And that is what happened, sirs," the pilot said shakily. "He could have easily destroyed the ship, but he was merciful."

Red and Purple stared disbelievingly at the screen, unable to believe that a floating purple moose had been able to do that much damage.

!#$%

"This way!" Mir cried, motioning her companions to hurry. Suddenly, Minimoose dropped out of the sky and flew next to Zim.

"Minimoose?" Zim asked, surprised. "Where have you been? You took off right after I activated your doomsday weapons…"

Minimoose just squeaked, the equivalent of a shrug for him. Zim shook his head, not really caring what Minimoose had been up to during the battle. Right now, they had a friend to help.

The rebels continued running, and soon they had reached a gathering crowd which was centered around Ina.

"Let us through!" Mir shouted, shoving her way through the crowd. Zim, Tak, Jek and Kiu followed. Dib and Gaz stayed behind, realizing they wouldn't be much help in healing an Irken. As the five Irkens made their way to the center of the circle, they saw that Appala, Kiku and Dink were already there. Ina lay on the ground, eyes shut in pain. There was a wound on her chest, and her PAK was badly damaged. Dink was doing his best to stem the blood flow, but he was only one Irken. The arrival of the others greatly increased her chances of survival.

Zim bent down, examining the damage to Ina's PAK. Tak and Kiu helped Dink press cloth to her chest wound. Jek and Mir got to work calming Kiku and Appala down. After several tense minutes, Zim stood, and began retrieving tools from his PAK.

"Well?" Kiku asked nervously.

"I can repair her PAK, but it will be difficult. I will need absolute silence until I'm finished. Dink, Tak and Kiu, continue putting pressure on her wound. I should be able to fix the worst of the damage in about fifteen minutes, then we'll need to move her to a more comfortable place, understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Jek, go get one of the Voot Cruisers, Zim continued, bending down to begin working on Ina's PAK. We'll need it to move her."

Jek nodded and pushed his way back through the crowd. He ran in the direction they had come from.

"Master!"

Jek turned his head to see Iris flying up. He stopped, waited for Iris to reach him, and jumped on board. Iris flew low to the ground, arms at her sides and lavender eyes narrowed. Steam billowed from her feet as she shot across the bare ground. The two of them reached the Voot Cruisers within minutes. Jek hopped of Iris and ran to the nearest of the ships, starting it up. Iris, making a split second decision, climbed aboard the other one and began to start it up as well. Soon the two were headed back to the others.

~!#$%

"Will, will she make it?" Appala whimpered.

"Shh!" Mir scolded. Zim's antennae twitched in annoyance but he never looked up. Ten minutes had passed already, and Ina was looking slightly better. Her wound wasn't bleeding as much. Jek and Iris landed the ships just outside the crowd at the moment, and they waited patiently for something to happen.

Five minutes later, Zim stood, carefully lifting Ina. He began to make his way toward the cruisers, the crowd parted instantly for him. Rinki began shouting orders, mainly ones to head back to the village to make sure everything was ok there.

Zim entered the ship Jek was flying, still holding Ina, who was currently unconscious. As soon as Zim was seated, Jek took off, heading in the direction of the village.

_The next day…_

Ina had survived the night, and Zim said she'd make a full recovery. Now the entire village was in celebration. They had chased off the Irken army and saved their planet. Why wouldn't they be happy? Well, most everybody _was_ happy. But there were several souls who had become restless and ready to move on…

"Kiu?"

Kiu had been lying in the grass, taking some time off to relax when Jek approached. Kiu sat up instantly and motioned his friend over. He patted the ground next to him, urging the blue eyed Irken to sit. Jek sat down and remained silent for a few moments. Finally, he spoke.

"Kiu, I can't stay here."

Kiu was surprised at first, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Of course Jek wouldn't want to stay in the same place as Kota's murderer.

"I… I think I'm going to keep fighting the Tallest," Jek continued. "The Resisty is going to leave, and I think I'll join them. I just need to keep fighting."

Kiu nodded. He chose his words carefully before he spoke. "Well, I can certainly respect your decision, but you do realize that I'll miss you a ton, right?"

Jek smiled sadly. "You don't need me around, you've got Mir now."

"Hey!" Kiu accused, leaping to his feet. "Bros before hoes, man! Bros before hoes!"

Jek laughed, sounding genuinely happy. "Trust me, you'll forget all about me in a few weeks."

"I will NEVER forget about you, man." Kiu said, helping Jek back to his feet. "You're my best friend."

"And you're mine," Jek said. The two began to walk back to the village. "Oh, I'm taking Iris with me," Jek continued. "We've grown rather attached to each other."

"Well, I can't imagine she'd be happier anywhere else," Kiu said. "So… you're leaving later then?"

The Resisty were leaving Mooshi just before sunset, because Lard Nar couldn't wait to set up a new base on a different planet. He couldn't very well set their base up on Mooshi, after all. They'd be found again.

"Yeah…" Jek sighed. "I had hoped they wouldn't leave so soon, but what's a single pilot to do?"

~!#$%^

The Resisty was just finishing loading up their ships; with a little help from the Zuphles, they had managed to locate where they had hid their ships after they had escaped the armada the first time around. The sun was just beginning to set in the distance. Jek was saying his final goodbyes to his friends and Iris was going around hugging everybody, especially Lila.

"IMMA MISS YOU!" Iris sobbed, hugging her best friend.

"I WILL MISS YOU TOO!" Lila cried.

"Iris!" Jek called, motioning the little SIR unit over.

"Coming!" Iris called. "Bye guys!" Iris called, waving to the rest of the SIR units. They all waved back, most of them brushing tears from their robot eyes.

"Farewell, everyone!" Lard Nar called. "Wish us luck!"

"Good luck!" everyone called. Then the Resisty took to the skies, leaving the ground behind.

"I don't believe Jek went with them…" Mir murmured. Kiu wrapped his arm gingerly around her. When she didn't rebel against him, he pulled her closer, a grin breaking out on his face. Zim saw the whole thing unfold and chuckled, wrapping Tak in a hug. Dink, who was standing next to Kiku, nudged her and tilted his head toward Kiu and Mir.

"I knew they'd wind up together, I knew it!"

Kiku shook her head in amusement. "Whatever you say, Dink."

The entire village continued to look at the sky until the stars came out. Rinki walked up to Zim, who seemed to be the leader ,more or less, of the ragtag group of rebels.

"Do you wish to remain here with us?" Rinki asked quietly.

Zim took his time before answering. Yes, he wanted to stay, but was it the best course of action for them? Ah, what the hell, he was tired of fighting. It'd be nice to just relax. "Yes," he murmured, "We wish to remain here."

"Ok then, we will begin construction on a portion of the village for your group tomorrow."

"Thank you," Zim said, smiling. Now they finally had a home. And while there would certainly be more trouble in the future, at least they'd be able to fight knowing that they had something worth fighting for.

~!#$%^

A/N: The end! :'D OMG YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW EXCITED I AM FOR THE LAST STORY I DON'T EVEN…

Anyway…

Lol, killing off Ina wasn't even an option for me, considering she's my little sister's character. My little sis probably would have cried if I killed Ina! I tricked you people, I tricked you good. Until the next story!

~Kota


End file.
